That name couldn't be a coincidence. Well, it could be, but it seemed so unlikely...Bernard had to know more. The initial report he was delivered was more about the company, not the owner, so of course it didn't have much more information to share. Without trying to make his interest too obvious, Bernard asked his team for a little more follow-up investigation into this mysterious woman.

What he learned only solidified his fears - it was definitely "his" Jez. Or rather, it was Vance's Jez; the person he was now bore little relation to the young man who had known her and her twin brother years ago. He learned the woman's story, too; she married very young, to a master apothecary. The timing indicated that they likely met around the time that Ben was incarcerated and Vance was under investigation, so the man was probably a part of clearing Ben's name and getting Vance exiled.

Jez became heavily involved in her new husband's business, and eventually, she convinced him to take on a production and distribution strategy that was very reminiscent of the one that Vance and Ben had introduced. Just when things started to get big for them, the man suffered a tragic accident (at least, that's what the report Bernard got said, although he privately had his doubts). The young widow then took over the business entirely.

Before long, she had changed the focus of the burgeoning pharmaceutical company, which was at the time offering a variety of products; instead, she pivoted into making and selling painkillers. The addictive properties and non-existent regulations made it a surefire win for her, and Jez had taken full advantage of the opportunity.

Her real genius, though, was in the network that she had built, to get her opiates in front of healers, even paying them to recommend the product - a concept which was virtually unheard of before she tried it. It had made her fabulously wealthy (not to mention culpable), as the brains behind the country's growing addiction crisis.

Suffice to say, Bernard was shaken. Jez was easily the person who had caused him the most trouble, and he knew that given the opportunity, she wouldn't hesitate to do it again. How should he deal with her, though? Would removing her - if he could even do that - remove the greater risk from her company and their products?

At the same time, Bernard had to reflect that he owed her something. He almost laughed to himself when the thought came to him. But it was true; without Jez, there would have been no Kelton, and therefore no Bernard and no Lenoran Union. His ambitions had only grown as his circumstances changed, so yes, there was a positive side to her betrayal. Even still, she was pretty much the last person that Bernard wanted to run into again.

He knew that he couldn't allow himself to react emotionally; he needed a real plan. The first step was to gather more information; however, it was going to get suspicious if he asked his team to dig into her any further. Currently, the information that they had been asked to provide was all very straightforward and commonplace for someone trying to learn the area and understand the context for the situation the people were in - asking them to dig deeper would make his personal interest all too obvious. So, Bernard was going to have to do a bit of reconnaissance himself.

It had been quite a while since he had taken the initiative to do this sort of intelligence-gathering investigation personally. Plus, it could be risky - Bernard didn't intend to confront Jez directly, and he had to be sure he wouldn't be recognized. He felt certain that his appearance (between aging years, a little more paunch, a lot less hair on top, and a healthy beard) and his change in bearing from the skulking street rat she had known would serve as good protection against identification, but he'd also have to try to avoid her in-person and to be discreet.

Dressing as plainly as possible so as to blend into the crowds, Bernard made the trip into the larger city where her offices were located, which was just on the outside of Khartok. For his first "shift" in surveillance, he decided to wait outside near Jez's office and observe. Partly, this was to learn about her routine, and her protection, but he had to be honest with himself and admit that some part of him wanted to catch a glimpse of the woman who had wronged him.

Bernard took up a position that was inconspicuous but would allow him to do some observation - he wouldn't be able to stay there all day, but it would give him some time without intrusive eyes, and he could take a little walk and circle back later if things got busy. While it never got particularly "busy," there was the obvious morning influx of employees, followed by a peppering of individuals going in and out.

There were too many for Bernard to keep track of forever, but he tried to remember their faces in hopes of recognizing the ones who returned the next time he was here. Looking closely at the people trickling in and out of the building, Bernard saw one person that was more than a little familiar - a face that he knew well. Although the man's appearance had become sallow and gaunt (likely the effects of addiction, rather than malnourishment), the eyes and the gait were the same as ever. It was another blast from the past; this could only be Ben.

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Well, Bernard, reasoned, he shouldn't be surprised that Ben would be found in close proximity to Jez, as the two of them were deeply committed to each other and liked to be near one another. Still, considering Ben's reluctance to stay involved in any unsavory or illegal business as a young man, Bernard was intrigued as to what Ben's role in everything might be. Even more curiously, when he arrived, it was as part of a small group of men, all of which waited outside when Ben went in alone.

The men were imposing-looking, and dressed similarly to each other. Although they didn't appear to be targeting anyone or anything in particular, there was an aspect of intimidation of danger to their casual demeanor. Ben came out and started giving the waiting men orders. It was kind of funny for Bernard to see Ben actually in charge of something again, but this might be nothing more than a scaled-up version of the small crews he used to manage for Vance as a teen. Either way, Bernard got the feeling that Ben wasn't working for Jez, at least not directly.

He couldn't overhear what was said (he was too far for that), but the glances and body language that he could read from his location gave the appearance that they had come there to either retrieve something, or drop it off, and were ready to move on to their next piece of business. The men started to disperse, although one of the large goons walked into a shop just down the street from where Bernard was watching. Interestingly, he didn't stay long, and was out the door again in a minute - two at the most.

Now this was curious. The man clearly moved with intent and purpose, but it was unlikely that he could have done much shopping in that amount of time. What was he up to? Although it might turn out to be nothing more than a distraction from Bernard's real purpose, checking into the situation might also give him some more clues he could use to figure out how best to deal with Jez, and what he was facing; especially now that Ben was in the picture, and seemed to be an interested outside party, things were starting to get complicated.

So Bernard decided to leave his spot, take a minute, and go speak to the shop proprietor. In any event, it was probably a smart idea not to stay in the same place much longer anyway. When he entered, he exchanged a few pleasantries with the woman, before inclining his head back towards the doorway in a kind of reverse nod and inquiring what the deal was with the man who had just been in there a few moments before.

Instantly the shopkeeper tensed up, obviously suspicious and more than a little frightened. Bernard wasn't rattled by her reaction, as he had a feeling that it wasn't a good situation; it was probably a shakedown or some sort of protection racket going. Still, he needed to learn the extent of the situation and the amount of power that he'd (likely) end up going against.

Bernard made an act of shaking off his previous "casual patron" persona and slipped into his best "trustworthy religious figure" mode, changing his voice to be more soothing, and making soft, slow movements with good eye contact, before continuing the conversation.

"I apologize if I caused you distress, madam. However, I must admit that your keen perception is correct - my interest in the man is not a casual one. You see, I'm a...a helper of sorts. I help with a variety of things, but in this case, I'm helping a very worried set of parents. I'm sorry to say that it's about their daughter..."

He leaned a little closer, as if imparting a terrible secret. "I hate to even say it. But the poor girl - her name is Penelope - has gotten caught up in something, and we're not exactly sure what. Obviously, we hope for the best but fear the worst. The man I'm asking you about is my best lead to finding her right now, and I'm too new in this city to understand what I'm walking into."

His words and demeanor had the intended effect, and the woman softened when she realized he wasn't a threat to her. "It's good to see someone who cares," she replied, "although I wish that it was someone else you were following. The man you asked about is a low-level member of an organization that has spread throughout the city, bringing naught but harm."

She looked around again, still tense and ensuring that they were alone before continuing. "When we don't pay them, bad things happen to us, our families, and our livelihoods. They claim to keep bad people out, but we never had any problems to speak of before they decided to get involved. The same men run liquor production, gambling, and sadly, trafficking women. I hate to say it, but the girl you are seeking has probably fallen prey to them."

The woman sighed and shook her head, while Bernard put on a look that was both distraught and determined. "That's terrible. I'm sorry for what's happening in your neighborhood, and I'm sure it must be difficult to talk to a stranger about such things. You're very brave. As for me, I won't give up. The information you've given me is more than I could have hoped for, and I'm lucky to have run into you. Sad as it is, I do appreciate it. I'll find Penelope, and figure out how to free her."

At this, the shopkeeper chuckled bitterly, amused at his projected naivety. "I wish you the best, but for your own safety, it might be better for you to return home and tell the girl's parents that she is lost. The Marknosan family doesn't exactly let people go."

"The Marknosan family? That's the name of the organization?" Bernard asked, his eyebrow raised.

She nodded. "Yes, that's right. They're called that because of their leader - a dreadful man. Again, please...you seem like a good man. Protect yourself."

Bernard slipped the woman a small amount of money in thanks for her information, and exited the shop, his head reeling. Marknosan...a name he hadn't heard in years. The head of this crime family, it seemed, could only be Richard. Bernard reflected on how difficult this situation would have been to predict; it was truly amazing that they all seemed to escape Khartok and make something of themselves, in their own way. However, the danger was only growing. Any one of the these three people...Jez, Ben, Richard...they could completely destroy his plans, and everything he'd worked for all these years.

He could hardly breathe.