He's Private, but not a Dick.

[Suede]

I'd be half-tempted to just take the money and say to hell with the missing girl if people weren't already aware I'm up to something. I've been all over this town and not a useful piece of information to be found lately.

The rest of the girl's family has disappeared, nevermind her or her brother. And that dame that gave me the request to begin with I haven't seen either. Girl had up and disappeared. Even after I took Simona up on her suggestion I go to that damn tea house to see if I can learn anything. The only thing I learned there was that she had a tendency to scramble my brain. Odds are if there was anything I could use, I missed it while staring at her clouds.

Hell, after I got away from there I spent the last few days wandering the worst parts of town where the refugees are. Saw something strange there, another missing person and this one only leaving behind some bizarre tree trunk. Looked almost like a woman, but I must have been tired.

I think I'm going to go check the local woods tomorrow, see if any of the woodsmen saw someone wandering farther from town than they ought to be. But first I need a drink, and not any damn tea or I'll have to go find a few more dogs and Great Uncle Ralph's old boot knife.

I kicked off the tree I was leaning against with a grunt and glanced towards the tea house one last time. I'd seen that Tessa women Simona had mentioned, wasn't my employer. I wonder where that coin came from. Questions, questions. I pulled a piece of straw I'd kept safe from the locusts out of my pocket and stuck it in my mouth to chew.

I didn't smoke, bad habit. This one made me look like a bumpkin, but I told myself that it left people off guard, made'em think I was a fool. I was, but not that sort. Some dirt scuffed up under my boots and I made my way back to the market, pulling my coat around me as I went. Maybe I could catch a thief or two.