My hunch about a route that bypassed the North Gate was proven correct. It was the result of a string of sturdy local bushes that held back erosion and disguised a relatively easy trail up from a back garden to just before the wall started. I’m sure before long there would be a drive to extend the walls around the entire rim of the plateau. After all, they were useless if an enemy or criminal could just walk around the end. That meant a new tax. I was already unhappy with the prospect, and it hadn’t even been proposed yet.
Ardo looked back up the trail in consternation as we emerged on the road.
“How did you know that was there?”
“An educated guess. Since Shelia wasn’t getting stuck at the North gate, there had to be a way around it. And it had to be easy enough to take in the dark on the regular.”
“Can’t even see it.”
“Of course not. If it were easy to spot, it’d have been destroyed by now,” I said.
“Well, we’re going to destroy it now. Makes the North Gate completely useless.”
“I have more inquiries to make,” I said, heading downhill. The neighborhood between the North Gate and the Unfortunate Intersection was a step up from the docks in respectable society. Most of the residents still worked along the docks, but they made enough to separate themselves by an iota. It was less of a slum, but I still would rather not live there. They were still timbered and plastered, but almost universally shingled, with thatching being a vanishing rarity.
Shelia Long was an inveterate liar, but I had to check her story. Or at least those parts I didn’t know to be fabricated. If there was a rented room above a cobbler’s shop, the cobbler might be able to give me some idea of who came and went from it. How many cobblers were in Jinwick? Not many – three or four. One dealt exclusively with the high end of the local market in the Citadel. One or two operated on Upton Street. And then there was the one on the Unfortunate Intersection. It was one of the stone-built shops flanking the road. A boot-shaped sign above the door made it clear what he sold. Like most places on this overly warm rock, the door was open during the daytime to let the breeze through.
The aroma of leather permeated the air within. Along one wall was a rack of cheap boots. Those that didn’t fit anybody, but were already made and cost less than having them custom fit. If you were lucky, a pair would be close enough. The other side was where he worked, tools and materials laid out in fastidious order. The man himself was seated on a stool. Thin and wearing a close-fitting waistcoat, he had eyeglasses and a receding hairline.
“May I help you?” he asked.
Given the state of my face and the general disheveled state of my attire, I probably looked like I’d come off the boats.
“I am Acting Magistrate Jasper Browne. I am currently investigating the murder of the previous Magistrate Thornton Wilcox.”
“I heard about that dreadful business, but I’m afraid when it happened I was at my house and not in my shop. I didn’t see it.”
“I understand that, Mister…”
“Cooper,” he said.
Cooper the cobbler? I decided not to poke fun at his name not matching his profession. Even if I found it mildly amusing.
“Mister Cooper. Do you by chance rent out the rooms above your shop?”
“Oh, you think they might have seen something?”
“I won’t know until I ask. Who is your tenant?”
“A man named Giles. Sailor, I think, looking to leave ships behind.”
“Have you seen him of late?”
“Oh, no, he keeps to himself mostly. At least, doesn’t give me any hassles.”
“Where are the stairs?”
“You’ll have to head back outside. They’re along the north wall.”
“Thank you, Mister Cooper,” I said, returning the way I had come. The stairs in question were timber on stilts, only periodically anchored to the stone wall they ran along. The gap wasn’t big enough to risk a foot slipping through, but it made the creak of weather-warped boards that little bit more ominous. The door was open to the breeze, and I let myself in. There were not a great many rooms to cast my gaze over, just the one by the stairs and the one by the street. The furnishings were quite sparse. Whoever slept here used a hammock. There was no provision for cooking, though with how warm the space was already, I couldn’t imagine a fire making it any more comfortable. Wooden crates around a simple table provided the seating. The most impressive feature was the view.
With the air of elevation at the start of the hill, the windows on the upper floor peered out over the rooves of most of the other buildings nearby. It gave an uninterrupted view of the harbor mouth between the lighthouses and many of the warehouses, even into the Azanjin district. You could watch the comings and goings of vessels almost as well as the lookouts on the Citadel towers.
My eyes drifted back to the warehouses as my mind went to something Nanjala had said. They’d planned to meet at a storehouse near the docks and near where Wilcox had ended up. Standing here, I had a perfect view of just such a place. Pieces began to tumble into place. Wilcox was here that night because this was his staging ground. Shelia and the One-eyed man would have had an almost uninterrupted view of the entire walk from here to the meeting with T’bora and Nanjala, had there been sufficient light to see by. They all thought Wilcox had the Star of Azanjin.
The pressure of the tip of a knife being pressed against my back interrupted my musings.
“Giles, I presume?” I said.
“And you’re a pestilence,” a rough voice said behind me.
“Since you didn’t push that blade in when you had the drop on me, I assume you’re willing to talk.”
“I’m not a murderer. I’m not goin’ to stab a man in the back. And I didn’t stab Wilcox.”
“But you did hit me with a shingle.”
“Woman running fer ‘er life from a man who ain’t raisin’ no hue and cry? Looked like you were plannin’ to do somethin’ awful to ‘er.”
“Where were you even hiding up here?”
“I weren’t hidin’. You just didn’t even look at the corner where I was sittin’.”
I mentally ran through my entrance to the space and realized he was right. I hadn’t even spared a glance at the north wall of the second room. I had been distracted by the view out the windows.
“Say I believe you. Say I don’t think you stabbed Wilcox. What now? How long do you plan to hold me at knifepoint?”
“Depends on you. You’ve been rootin’ around like a hog diggin’ acorns. I gotta know what you dug up.”
“I know that Wilcox planned to double cross you the way he double crossed everybody. You’re just an honest thief looking for a big score. You stole the Star of Azanjin back in Atlor, but you couldn’t sell it to the highest bidder because the highest bidder is the Gold King. And you need connections with the Azanjin to sell to him.”
“Weren’t you the one they said was guilty of stealin’ that?”
“You and I both know I had nothing to do with the theft. Magdelene, or Shelia, or whatever her real name is became a witness because otherwise people might look too closely at what she was doing in the area. Lookout, I’m guessing.”
“Yer givin’ me more reason not to want to keep you around.”
“But the theft went off without a hitch. You got the jewel out of Atlor and down here. Even had someone else get convicted of it. The question remains when you made Wilcox’s acquaintance.”
“You really think you can ask questions?”
“No. But I doubt you met Wilcox after arriving at Jinwick. It’d be madness to approach the only law on the island and ask him to help you sell stolen goods. I think Wilcox sought you out. Before the theft.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Pray tell, how does an Atlorian end up with a crown jewel of the Azanjin?”
“Yer asking questions again.”
“The Azanjin are not going to sell it. So it must have been acquired another way. Wilcox was part of a band of mercenaries that fought in the Southern Islands. Local valuables have a nasty tendency to fall into the hands of mercenaries passing by – either as loot or payment. But if it’s part of the company’s spoils, Wilcox would have had to split the sale price with the rest of the soldiers. That’s where you came in. The moment you lifted the jewel, instead of splitting it a few hundred ways, it could be split only two or three. Or only one.”
“I didn’t kill Wilcox!” Giles spat.
“I know. Otherwise you would have put that knife between my ribs by now. You don’t want to kill me anymore than you wanted to kill him. You’re just looking for a way out where you don’t end up in a noose. I am the Magistrate. I am the one man on this island who can keep you out of the gallows and has a reason to do so.”
Rookie mistake.
As opposed to a politician, who’s a dishonest thief.
I take that to mean, not the kind who does violence. Usually.
🤔
Honestly, I never thought too deeply into the meaning of the phrase.
Gotta say, our drunken magistrate is a pretty cool customer.
Most of the other characters underestimate him because he doesn’t cut the figure of a classic hero. They see a weak drunkard.
I resemble that comment *hic*.
Nice twist, at the end. Jasper just keeps getting more interesting.
So, whodunnit?
I’m sticking with Ardo, right or wrong.
Interesting factoid from Twix:
Russia’s full scale war against Ukraine, which Moscow started on 24th February of 2022, lasts now exactly as long as the German-Soviet war in WW2, exactly 1,418 days.
That’s wild.
Artillery production alone hasent even ramped up much. An actual full scale war between major powers would just be stupid at this point, it’s drones from here on out and grinding movements that look like WWI again.
There is obviously only two options, theocracy or hereditary rule, right?
Sigh…
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/11/iran-protests-gather-momentum-demonstrators-protest-movement
I wonder how on the edge they really are. If crowds of thousands marching across the country is the standard the US government has been on the precipice many times which, of course, they haven’t.
Well, the Iranians are burning police stations, executing security services officers, and forcing regime retreat from entire cities.
So I’d say the situation is up in the air.
MOSTLY PEACEFUL
Depends how benevolent the dictator is.
Might be better than the mess we have here LOL.
Not doubt Khaddafi was a contemptible POS, but he held those fuckers down. Once Hillary et al killed him, that whole region is more of a mess.
I have been reading stuff about how Iran peeps are rejecting Islam(ism). Gotta say, my ignorant ass is a bit surprised at that. I am a history ignoramus for sure.
Of course Iran/Persia was one of Islam’s many conquests over the centuries but I had no idea there was any current pushback. Nor do I have any idea how accurate any of what I’m seeing is. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Interesting times.
Same with Sadam Tres.
FWIW, Pahlavi has publicly called for elections shortly after the mullahs fall. I suppose that could mean a constitutional monarchy.
The conjoined blob standing on the mountain and with golf clubs growing out its back is a nice touch.
“Meltien’uts Zotir” caters to the highest class of mutants.
You’re gonna love my meltien’uts!
👍
I slept through the ending. 🙄
I am left with hate-watching four more teams today.
I’m pretty sure if Philly won, they would have been partying in the street and tearing shit up.
Probably the same since they lost.
Yeah I don’t remember any of that behavior in Buffalo and I lived there through the almost-glory years.
they would have been partying in the street and
tearingeating shit up.FIFY
Philly fans are special, rhywun.
You do you.
Like most televised media, it’s background noise.
Sometimes I use it to lull me to sleep.
Warhammer Collection
Wherever you think this might be going, it’s better 😂
I can’t breathe 😂
Derpy, Evan, KK, anyone? Should be an opening for offensive coordinator in Philly tomorrow. As long as you don’t believe in “prevent offense” you should be an acceptable candidate.
They can have Rich Bisaccia or Adam Stenavich.
Well, I had the sense to pass out when I got home, though I did catch the end of the Bills.
*knuckle-rubs eyes* What am I being nominated for? And why? Lucrative?
Well, I do know how to be offensive. On the other hand, Philadelphia.
I’ll pass on it.
You don’t want to be a fentanyl zombie?
I expected the Patriots to dominate the Chargers. I can only assume slumbrew isn’t rooting hard enough.
I don’t have a huge dog in this fight except I hate everything Boston so there is that I guess.
Even chowder?
Seafood other than some fishes is disgusting so yes.
Have you been to Boston? You are not likely to find better seafood.
Yes, I have.
I don’t like most seafood. It has nothing to do with my opinion of Boston – or more specifically, Boston sports teams.
The spread is only the Pats by 3.5; Chargers pass defense is one of the best in the league.
Not shocked by this.
*sees the writing on the wall; flips to X-Files*
Is this of any interest of to you computer guys?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-3RJaKcw_4
UNIX v4 program found cleaning out an office at the University of Utah
Someone mentioned that a while back.
A curiosity, no more.
Maybe of interest to boomers.
Tres Sr. would come home with scrap paper from the office for us kids to color on.
One of the scraps was…..punch cards
Is the tape readable after 50 years?
I had plenty of bad experiences with tape backups in the 80s.
They were able to read it, with effort.
https://www.theregister.com/2025/12/23/unix_v4_tape_successfully_recovered/
LOL
So like a day’s work.
They’re treating it like a lost Doctor Who episode FFS.
(I keed
Thank you.
I didn’t have the energy to go search for the answer. I figured someone already new it.
We used to store multiple copies of real-time aircraft simulations on a 1MB platter (It was huge).
Actually, they were 5 MB single-platter disks. Eventually, we moved up to 20 BM multi-platter disks.
LOL the media’s earnest attempts to get me interested in the most recent Hollywood freak circle-jerk are cute.
I have never hated that crowd more or had any less interest in their exploits.
What are you talking about? Asking for a friend.
The Golden Globes, I assume. (Not Sydney Sweeney’s.)
Go to whatever your local MSM outlet is.
Yes, golden globes.
Sample headline: “Golden Globes 2026: Timothée Chalamet thanks ‘partner’ Kylie Jenner after winning for ‘Marty Supreme’: ‘I love you’”
*puke*
Holy shit. I’m 2 minutes in and want to smash my TV.
If people dont submit Schooly McSchoolface I’ll have lost hope.
Local school district asking for input in renaming of Alternative School
Kurt Cobain school for the stupid?
/it is alternative
The Derek Zoolander Center for Kids Who Can’t Read Good has already been taken it seems.
Juvenile McDelinquentface.
My town has one of those downtown; I know the score.
In Soviet Russia, House owns YOU!
Black New York homeowners blast Mamdani’s radical tenant advocate Cea Weaver: ‘White supremacy? I’m not white’
LOL bullshit. You’re a radical communist as exhibited by many years of your social media comments.
It’s almost too easy to make fun of that lightweight.
Philip Solomon, a 51-year-old who’s owned a Green Ave. brownstone in Bed-Stuy for 17 years, called Weaver’s comments “illogical.”
“I don’t want to believe that that’s what she intended to say,” Solomon said.
“I grew up watching [‘The Cosby Show’], and looking at a brown family on national network television,” he recalled. “It gave me the idea that one day you can have a home in New York City.
“In a way, this is kind of like a dream realized,” he continued.
Just another victim suffering from cognitive dissonance.
Meanwhile 90+% of his neighbors – if not he himself – are going to continue voting for communists.
I don’t know how that changes. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
They finally vote in so many Communists that the elected officials abolish elections?
lol I guess that is one way that voting ends.
Dylan Mulvaney – the rest of the story
Before he was a she (or tried to be), he was on The Price is Right, where he cavorted and minced in a most stereotypical way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tAntcKymE4
Big Gay Al would be asking him to tone it down.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iv_Es9NodNc
O.M.G. it goes on… and on….
Yeah… I am not surprised at this. Recent network television loves this sort of flamboyant excess.
I love Drew Carey gamely playing along.
Wowza. My friend of friends in high school/ early college, Dusty Bottoms (Legit birth name) was on Ru Paul’s Drag Race and was as flaming as I’ve been around. Cool enough, did take up meth and lost like 120lbs, and IIRC kept it off.
He MAY have been able to keep up with that gayness, but it’s a high hurdle.
Got maybe hours of sleep in the late afternoon, further oddifying my sleep cycles on shuffle.
I don’t know enough, but never liked Collinsworth, though he seemed fairly good at his job. I simply hated his voice. Disdainfully. He seems to have worked on that, to whatever extent. Or his gugglin’ gravel habit’s been worked on. Or something. *quizzical squint*
Feelin’ good about my return to sleep and a should-be cakey end to the week. *quizzical squint intensifies in mirror*
Collinsworth as a player sounded straight-up hillbilly. NFL sent him to voice lessons once he started to do on-air commentary.
I think I’d rather hear hillbilly. He annoys me.
I’m surprised I kind of like Brady now. I hated him as a player lol.
That feeling when you password protect your shit and you forgot what your password was.
lol I just bricked a Pixel phone over that.
-$125 trade in I was hoping for