The Skinsaw Murders

“Yep, them Hiedmarch boys is comin up in the world alright.” The toothless old man said as the two young men in question disappeared into the house.

“Guilenfarb boys actually,” Sasha muttered absently without turning her gaze from the house.

“Gillen-what now?”

“Mmm, nothing.” Sasha chewed her lip as she pondered what she was doing here.

“Well, whatever ya wanna call em, it ain’t usual to see them both at home like that. Josk, that’s the older one, he’s a ship’s captain now. Commands one of his daddy’s fancy trade ships he does. Young master billy, that’s the one what fell in the mud back there – he’s in town more. Helps old man Heidmarch push the coins around down on the docks. Yep doing right fine for themselves those Heidmarch boys are.”

Sasha pressed a coin into the old man’s hands and sent him on his way, then stole across the street and over the house’s fence. The darkness hid her movements just as it hid the growing scowl on her face.
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Malvick, Yola and Li Kao make their way to the Foxglove townhouse just after sunset. The home is located in the Grand Arch district, not far from Starsilver Plaza. Its façade faces a small courtyard in which stands a fountain consisting of four pools, each fed by one of four long necked iron wyvern heads. The building is three stories tall. All the ground floor windows have been boarded up.

Malvick pulls out the key ring (containing the large key with the Foxglove family crest, and the smaller lion headed one)they took from Aldern, and, shrugging at his companions, walks up to the main door and tries the larger key. The lock turns, and the door opens. Passers by don’t seem to take note of the trio as they enter – after all, what burglar would use the front door?

Inside, the house is cold and dark. The rooms are dusty and in dissaray, as if someone had ransacked the place months ago. Before they can move deeper into the house however, an eerily familiar face pops around the corner. “Oh, hello! We weren’t expecting company,” says Aldern Foxglove, healthy and face full of life. “Seoni,” he calls over his shoulder, “we have guests! Be a dear and put on some tea.” Then turning back to the dumfounded trio in front of him, “Please, come meet my wife,” and disappears around the corner.
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“Sashal?”

Sasha whirled around, the knife in her hand flashing in the moonlight. She hadn’t quite finished “redecorating” the life sized portrait of lord Heidmarch. Billy stood in the foyer, dressed in night clothes and blinking in the dim light.

“Oh, uh, hey Billy. Long time no see.” Now that Sasha was actually face to face with one of her brothers, she felt sheepish – like a petulant child caught in an act of defiance. Which was, she reflected, pretty much the case.

“ ‘Hey Billy?’ we haven’t seen you in what, four years and now here you are skulking about in the night and all you’ve got is ‘ hey Billy’? Sashal, what are you doing here?”

Sasha prickle at hearing him use her childhood nickname, just as her father had always done. “Oh you know, just picking up some thing,” she said hoisting the small bag of silverware and other trinkets in her left hand. “And paying my respects to the lord of the house,” waving at the defaced portrait behind her.