Ano finds a note in the BRT dropbox requesting a meeting at the Rosebud dinner on Roe Avenue at dawn. While having breakfast at the dinner the group is pulled into a murder discovered in an apartment across the street. The victim, a woman named Laura Sole, lies alone on a bed with a ivory handled knife sprouted from her chest. The sergeant responding remarks that the victim’s husband is a wealthy man. The Bell Row Troubleshooters cautiously poke around the apartment finding two glasses, one broken. Haugin notes it seems odd that the knife wound left such a small blood spot. They leave with a strangly marked nearly half-full bottle on the bedside table which they later identify it as Brackbrandy, an illegal liquour of Kalapuran make.
In the course of the investigation the group meets Laura’s sister Livy DuShain, a moneychanger on Dicer’s and Laura’s husband Jules Sole, the owner of the Island Rum Runners distillery in the Spiritgrav. Both hire the group to find the killer. Livy offers 100 royals and Jules 200 royals + 100 more if killer brought to him alive without any watch involvement. Laura reveals that Jules is a cruel and abusive husband who Laura feared and Livy reviled. She suspects he is guilty and urges the group to find her evidence. When interviewed a hot-tempered Jules throws a heavy silver goblet at Ano narrowly missing the small gobber earning his ire. Jules admits the knife is his and suggests the killer must have stolen it from him to clumsily frame him. He promises to beat each of his servants to find a confession. Apu convinces him to allow the group to keep the knife for the duration of the investigation.
The Troubleshooters interview Lincoln Daltry, prelate of the Cathedral of Morrow on Dicers where Laura used to volunteer and the priest refers them to a confused Ano for more details on Laura. At the funeral home of Poe & Rekets the group meets Kinjaw, a twitchy introvert with a habit of sampling small bites of the corpses he autopsies. Apu studies Laura’s body and his extensive medical schooling supplimented with a spell finds that she died of poisoning and was only stabbed after she was quite dead. Apu suggests a diviner is hired to learn the identity of the knife’s last possessor. That night the knife disappears only to be found with the help of Apu’s spells under a pile of garbage nearby the next day. Ano suggests Jules was the only one who knew of the knife. During this discussion someone spots a rooftop squatter spying on the group, he is chased and escapes pursuit but loses his hat.
Redressed in fitting apparel the Troubleshooters attended the funeral of Laura Sole. Ano looked remarkable fine. They discover the bald stalker is a Thurian named Dane Winters who has also been hired by Jules to find Laura’s killer. Out of leads he was tracking the group to see what they learned. He suggested they join up and is taunted for his ineptitude. Jules expressed frustration at the group’s lack of progress. Opifera met a tearful young woman named Elise Beckman who was Laura’s best friend and confidant. Despite Elise’s husband Donalds efforts to keep Elise away from the investigators Opifera arrainged a time to meet Elise privately as she seems desperate to reveal something. Aside from the usual friends and business associates of the Soles present at the funeral are a handful of Morrowian clergy including Prelate Daltry who speaks some kind words, Father Ronolvo of the Church of the Waters of Morrow, and Inquisitor Pauline Greyvine.
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