I'm going to publish this now, half finished, as I haven't had time to work on it lately. I will add to it when I can.
Padric the thief was stuck. It was a precarious position he'd suddenly found himself in. He'd been rummaging through the personals of a high ranking city official when he'd heard footsteps coming up the stairs in the hallway outside. Like a shadow he'd slipped back out the open window. Unfortunately, unlike a shadow he had also literally slipped and was now hanging by his fingertips from the windowsill. His legs flailed under him unable to find a decent foothold against the stonework wall. He could hear someone opening the door in the room he'd exited oh so gracefully a moment before. It was only seconds before he would be discovered.
Two days ago in the corner of a run down old pub on the corner of Westing and First Street an envelope was being exchanged. It was done in the manner of all shady deals everywhere. A slight, nonchalant glance around the room as it was nudged ever so slightly in the direction of the receiver. The subterfuge was not needed. No one in the bar took notice anyway. It was the home to the kind of morbid alcoholism that kept the liver transplant industry in new hats and it's patrons were generally more concerned with drinking themselves to oblivion than observing the finer points of criminality. The receiver leaned forward reaching for his drink and carefully placing his napkin over the envelop as he slid it back into his lap.
"Whats so imporn't yas drag me alla way out 't this shit'ole?" asked the courier displaying an unfortunate lack of scumbag diplomacy. The receiver was a small, sallow looking man wearing a brown corduroy suit. He smiled. It was the kind of smile you might see on something with fins as it slowly circles the piece of driftwood you're clinging too. With a small noise that sounded like fwip the courier leaned back in his seat with a sigh as the receiver stood, straightened his suit and exited the pub. It wasn't until after closing that night that the barman found the sliver of metal embedded in the mans throat.