Masquerades - Kate Novak [110]
Victor stared hard into his mulled wine as if an answer might appear in the mug. "I began thinking about what you said last night, that maybe Father was paying the Night Masks on the side but was too proud to admit it. I started searching through his desk in secret. I couldn't find anything about payoffs, but I found this key. It was in an envelope with instructions on how to use it."
"And the instructions?" Alias asked. "Were they written in your father's hand?"
"Yes," Victor admitted. "I thought I should check it out by myself, in case it wasn't anything important."
"Or in case it was," Alias commented.
"It doesn't prove anything," Victor insisted. "There could be a perfectly good reason why he had the key. You have a key, too?"
Alias nodded.
"How did you get it?" the noble asked.
"I took it from Melman shortly before the Night Masks blew up his home with him in it," the swordswoman explained.
Dragonbait looked at Alias with surprise. She was deliberately misleading the noble to believe that Melman was dead.
"Victor, did you tell your father I was checking up on Melman?"
"When I got home last night. We had this stupid argument. He said I was distracting you from your duties. I told him what you told me at the party about Melman." The young man's eyes widened in surprise. "You don't think-he couldn't. It's just a coincidence. My father is not involved with the Night Masters!"
Now it was Alias's turn to look down into her mulled wine for a reply.
"You said yourself, last night, that you didn't think Father was the Faceless, that he had no reason to be involved with them. He hired you to get rid of them," Victor argued. "Wait! He could have gotten the key from Kimbel after Kimbel tried to assassinate him."
"Then why didn't he turn the key over to Durgar?" Alias asked.
Unable to come up with a ready excuse, Victor shifted tactics. "What would you do if you found the key in the possession of someone you loved? If it were, say, in Dragonbait's purse?"
Alias exchanged a look with the paladin. "I would ask him about it," the swordswoman replied.
"You wouldn't just take it to Durgar first, would you?" Victor retorted.
Alias sighed. "Victor, Dragonbait is like a brother to me. I've known him all my life."
"I've known my father all my life, too," the merchant noble countered.
"Very well," Alias said. "I'll ask your father about the key before I mention it to Durgar. I will give him a chance to explain."
"No!" Victor exclaimed. "That is, I'm asking you to give me a chance to ask him. He's my father, and, well, I think I should be the one to ask."
Alias couldn't imagine Victor getting a straight answer from his verbally abusive father, and, if Luer Dhostar should actually be involved with the Night Masks, there was a chance Victor would be in danger.
"I know what you're thinking," Victor said, "but you're wrong. My father would never hurt me. He has a good reason for having this key. You'll see. Let me handle this."
Alias nodded reluctantly. "All right," she said. "I have to report to Durgar about the lair today, so he can send the watch in at the next low tide. I will tell him you accompanied us there. I will not mention you had a key just yet. But, Victor, I can't keep that from him for long. I must have some explanation from your father by tomorrow."
"Tomorrow, then," the young merchant agreed. "I have all sorts of tasks to finish for the ball. We can discuss it then."
"Ball?" Alias asked.
"Yes. Oh, I almost forgot." Victor replied with a sheepish grin. "I'm afraid your invitation is just a little damp." He reached into his cloak pocket and drew out a soggy sheet of parchment folded in thirds. The sealing wax was marked with the croamarkh's insignia. Victor held it out to her.
Alias held up a hand as if to ward the invitation away like an evil spirit. "Victor, I'm supposed to be uncovering the identity of the Night Masters and the Faceless. I can't be rushing off to every party in Westgate."
"This isn't just a party. This is the Regatta Masquerade Ball," Victor