The city felt heavier all of a sudden, the air thicker.

“One: The Rifts, they’ve been happening more lately.”

“Is that your question?” he asked.

“No, it’s a fact. My question is, what do you know about it?”

“You’re gonna need to get a little more specific than that,” he said. “I know a lot of things.”

“Any indication of the cause, Jeff? Why the increase?”

“Ah, now if that ain’t the million-dollar question, Jackie.” He set a silver coin back on the table. “Afraid that info’s been bought and locked.”

“So someone else was looking for that answer? What’s the release price?” I asked.

“More than you’ve ever had your hands on, even in your heyday.”

“How much, Jeff?”

“Fifty gold.”

Fifty gold Favors. Whoever wanted this knowledge wanted it to themselves. You could get a head of state whacked for less.

I took the silver Favor back, returned because he couldn’t provide the info. But that fact alone said a lot.

“Fine. Second question. A case a few weeks ago, Robert McGuffey, found in his study, surrounded by his own blood.”

“Yeah, I know it. A gruesome way to go.”

“He was involved in ‘collecting’.”

Jeff stared at me blankly, not giving anything away.

“Have you heard any whispers about him? Any talk along the grapevine about what actually happened?”

“I thought you retired from all this, Jackie. You’re asking a lot of questions for someone that’s retired.”

“I have, but this is personal. For a friend.”

His voice got louder, more polite and formal. “Anything else I can help you with, sir?” he asked.

Just then, a woman walked up with her daughter in tow. The little girl immediately spoke up, demanding a candy.

“You can have a sweet when we get home, Matilda,” the woman said, her tone firm but kind, before turning to purchase a holopaper update. With a quick swipe of her hand over the display, the faint shimmer of Grid Access illuminated her enhanced eyes, a subtle pulse of light as the download initiated. For a brief moment, the flicker of data streams reflected across her pupils.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

The little girl looked up at me. I smiled and lifted my hat slightly in a nod. Her eyes went wide and she hid behind her mother’s dress. Right, my face. I needed to get used to this.

Jeff’s voice suddenly took on a friendly and surprisingly light tone as he handed a free candy to the little girl with a robotic arm. “Here you go, little one. On the house.” She took it, and she and her mother disappeared down the street.

He turned back to me.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the small silver key. Its surface was adorned with intricate filigree designs that caught and reflected the light in mesmerizing patterns.

“That’s quite something,” Jeff remarked. I felt a sudden self-consciousness wash over me.

“Yeah, indeed it is. I think it’s connected to the death somehow. So, you got any dope on it?”

He thought for a long moment. “Is this a private inquiry, Jackie, or public?”

“What’s the cost difference?”

“Goes from silver to gold for private.”

“Christ man, inflation isn’t that bad.”

“Prices go up. Just the way it is.”

I didn’t have a gold coin. I spent most of my stock buying my way out of the game.

“It’ll have to be public, you little rat.”

Jeff smiled at me darkly.

“In that case, I can tell you two things. Firstly, it wasn’t no suicide, as I’m sure you’ve guessed.”

“And the second thing?”

“You aren’t the only one after that key’s mate, the little jewelry box.”

“Anything else? Can you tell me who is looking for it?”

“Afraid that’s all I got. If you want, you could leave the key with me and I could ask around a bit.” Jeff’s eyes glinted and the mechanical arm reached out.

“I’m thinking I’ll be fine holding onto it for now.” I tucked it back into my pocket.

“Suit yourself,” he said.

Jeff’s expression turned serious. “Some free advice—drop this one, Jack. Nothing’s worth the answers you’re looking for. You’re messing with fire here. If you keep poking around, some people might get the wrong impression. And you don’t have the same protections that you used to.”

I gave him a curt nod and swiped my hand across the payment holo. A flickering holo-coin spun in the air before vanishing with a soft chime into the digital register. Cute little gimmick. The "paper" materialized in my inbox, and I opened it as I stepped back into the city’s endless static hum, the neon glow painting everything in sharp edges and shadows.

As I scrolled through the headlines under the erratic glow of a streetlight, one snagged my attention: “Crime Surges in New Amsterdam: Ruby Artifacts Sold to Museum Found to Be Forgeries.”

Jeff hand’t been directly helpful, but in a roundabout way, he’d told me what I needed.

I knew that the now-confirmed murder of Mr. McGuffey was tied to the key and jewelry box, and thus to magic.

And that the rifts were speeding up, and someone powerful was behind it or at least trying to keep it a secret. I mulled over the list of players who could throw that kind of weight around. Couldn’t be Calico, could it? Maybe the Council itself?

I wouldn’t put it past those sniveling, power-hungry bastards. They were a bureaucratic nightmare, always hiding in the shadows, their filthy little fingers in everything. They hoarded knowledge like dragons hoard gold, terrified of losing their grip on power. I was all for looking out for your own interests, but these guys took it to another level. They squashed anyone who dared to threaten their so-called “order,” not out of necessity, but out of cowardly malice and hypocritical righteousness.

My stomach grumbled loudly, a not-so-gentle reminder that I’d skipped breakfast. Gotta eat. The sweltering heat of the summer afternoon beat down on me as I headed to my favorite breakfast spot downtown. The sun cast a warm glow over the freshly washed streets. Last night’s heavy rain had vanished without a trace, leaving behind a thick layer of humidity and a fresh sheen of soot just beginning to form.