Lake of Flowers by N.L. Holmes

Author:N.L. Holmes [Holmes, N.L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: WayBack Press
Published: 2021-06-30T06:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 9

“Well,” Maya said with a huff. “What do we do now?”

Lord Hani smiled. “We stop and think. I believe lunch at the nearest beer house would help that endeavor.”

They made their way to the neighborhood beer house, which Hani had last visited when interviewing a witness in one of his other cases. At the noon hour, it was packed with people, mostly workmen taking advantage of their lunchtime to socialize and rest their weary bones. The atmosphere was heavy with sweat and smoke and fried onions and the yeasty smell of beer. They found a low table with a couple of free stools and settled themselves comfortably. Before long, the potbellied servant had brought them a jar of herbed beer and a plate of toasted melon seeds. With a big fresh loaf of bread, it was a feast to match any that Lord Ptah-mes’s cook could confect. Hani’s mouth was watering by the time the plates were set in front of them.

They ate in hungry silence. Then, once they had pushed back their stools, Maya said in an undertone, “Who do you reckon is trying to poison you-know-who, my lord?”

The talk and laughter in the big room, echoing against its low ceiling and smoky rafters, made it difficult to hear—but that was good, Hani decided. “Someone Nakht-ef-mut knew about.”

“So, we’re back to trying to figure out who he saw the night he died. Apparently, he never got to the palace.” Maya stuck out his lip pensively. “Do we try to find that elusive paint merchant?”

He’d said it only half seriously, but Hani sighed and shrugged. “That’s all we can do. Maybe he at least saw our man pass by.”

“Would he have been in his shop so late, though?” Maya frowned and stared at the table in thought.

“Only one way to find out.” Hani threw a few copper bangles on the table and stood up with a satisfying stretch of the arms. He saw their server making his way eagerly among the tables in their direction and called out, “I have a question, my man. How well do you know this neighborhood?”

“Well, my lord. I live around here.” The man’s eyes kept dropping to the jewelry on the table.

“Another bracelet is yours if you can tell me if there’s a paint merchant around here,” Hani said with a friendly smile.

The servant, whose bare hair was thin and graying, was no doubt asking himself how many extra tips he could tuck away for his old age. After a moment of anxious quiet, his face lit up. “I do know, my lord. The next street toward the River, up near the warehouses. There’s an awful lot of royal artists around here, as you can imagine.”

With a wink, Hani dropped another of his bangles on the table. “Thank you. Treat your friends to a round on me.”

They made their way out the door, pushing aside the rolled-up fly mat, while the servant bobbed up and down in gratitude.

“Well, let’s find the place. It sounds like it’s near your mother’s workshop after all.

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