AN: This story could have yuri (girl on girl) in future chappies. If you don't like, don't read, and don't flame, my PC is plastic and will melt.

Foiled Plans: Chapter One

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The guard heard a soft twang before toppling off the wall.

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The rainy streets of Lachlan bustled under the ever-present canopy of canvas tarps. Its denizens seemed unaffected by the weather; they were quite used to the constant drizzle. Lachlan perched sullenly on the bank of Evadne, a huge, clear lake, host to several types of edible and not-so-edible creatures. It was fed by a mountain run-off, aptly named Lynna (meaning waterfall) for its murderous waters. Most of the lake was owned by Adrian Moore, a small-town merchant turned millionaire by his lucrative shipping business. Though the city was actually ruled by Baron von Regis, Moore controlled the economy. Water was the most important aspect of the Lochlanian’s commercial life.

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“What do you mean shot?” the chief of police, Emmet Doyle, cried, “He was on a routine post! The perimeter guard is one of the safest in the city.”

“Um, yes sir, but we found him outside the wall this morning with an arrow through him. I think, sir, that—,”

“You think? You could have fooled me. Was it you who thought it was a good idea to tell me one of my officers is dead before you know who did it? I want names, Meyer!” Corporal Alice Meyer shied from her commander’s glare.

“Yes sir,” she sighed and left the office. She had been about to tell him that the shot had come from an adjacent window in one of the wharfs, but he never listened until she could tell him exactly who did the crime and how it was done.

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The rain had slowed to a drowsy splattering and the near-invisible figure slinked across the rooftops and into an open window.

“Ah, I was wondering when you’d get here,” the artificially cultured voice of Adrian Moore called from the well lit desk in the middle of the room. “I’m sorry about the thugs, but I only need Regis out of the picture. If we get the police in on this too early we’re doomed.”

“We who? You’re paying me, so let me do my job. The guard would have seen me.” The speaker was a young woman with a lyrical, if bitter, voice better suited to a singer than an assassin, as her teacher had often told her.

“True, I am paying you, but if I am arrested I will not be able to continue doing so, and,” he paused for effect, peering into the darkness in an attempt to see his assassin, “you would not want it to be your fault.” He was quite agitated that the girl had yet to show herself. After all, he was paying her solid gold and she was dealing in shadows.

“And you would not like threatening me. I like this city; I’ve always found rain calming. I would so hate to leave,” she laughed softly, just out of sight.

“Alright, so if I talk, you’ll kill me. Don’t make me talk if you don’t want to leave,” he smiled at her, “and if you should force me to reveal your name, Kirra, shouldn’t I have been able to see my killer’s face?”

“No. Unless you have anything else to say, I’ll be leaving now,” she stated decisively.

“You have my permission to leave.” Moore eagerly anticipated her reaction to that.

“Not that I needed it,” Kirra said on her way out the door. Well, I expected a bit more than that, he thought glumly.

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Alright, let’s think through this logically, Alice thought as she walked along the wharf. The shot knocked Gregory off the wall to the northeast, which means it came from southwest of his post. The arrow was from a bow, not a crossbow, and the body was a good ten feet from the wall’s edge. The criminal must have been close, maybe in, she paused to climb the ladder leading to the wall post, there, the textile wharf. Said wharf had a window slightly below the wall-top, perfect for shooting a watching guard. The floor, from what Alice could see, was an open storage area. It was mostly free of obstructions because the time was just before shearing and harvest. The remaining products would be stored further down, where they were easier to get to. At this time in the year there wouldn’t be workers up here, so he killer should have been undisturbed. Why, then, would he stop at Gregory? No other bodies were found and a couple of sergeants went around searching when we found the one.

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“Miss Ryan! There’s a visitor here to see you!” a maid called up the stairs in Kirra’s boarding house.

“Thank you, Missy. I’ll be right down,” Kirra sighed. Moore probably wanted another meeting, but he’d done it legitimately this time. There would be no hiding in shadows. She pulled on a cloak and made her way down to the front room.

“Are you going somewhere, Miss Ryan?” She was suitably surprised when she saw a police officer waiting.

“I’m sorry, officer, I was expecting a visitor and Missy didn’t tell me who was here. You wanted to see me?” Kirra asked. She wasn’t exactly sure why a copper wanted to talk to her, but she could guess.

“Well, as you may know, one of our officers was killed night before last and we have reason to believe the arrow came from the textile wharf. The director there said you were the only one on that level that night. Did you see anything?” Alice smiled, her spiky, brown hair finally drying after searching all day for Kirra Ryan.

“No, I didn’t, but I didn’t look very hard either. It was dark and my candle was almost out.” Kirra lied.

“The guards on the other side, guarding the Baron, said they saw no light in the window. It’s my belief that you killed Officer Gregory and intended to kill Baron von Regis the same night. What I don’t know is why you wanted to kill Regis and why you stopped after killing Gregory. Are you going to tell me before I arrest you or after?” Her smile had become a grin of satisfaction as she knew she held all the cards. By then, the servants and other tenants had congregated around the front room.

“I’ll tell you what I know, but I’d prefer to go somewhere less,” Kirra looked around disdainfully, “public.”

“Is the watch house private enough? The holding cells are solitary,” Alice hinted.

Hmm, it wouldn’t be the first time I sat in jail for a while, Kirra thought, and it would protect me from Moore’s thugs. “Alright, I’ll come. I get some kind of prisoner benefits, right?”

“You get your own cell and three meals a day. You can buy other things, if you have the money. I’d save it if I were you, you’ll be in for a while,” Alice laughed and hand-cuffed the blonde assassin. She became frighteningly cheerful when she figured out a crime. Kirra already looked uneasy. She had a feeling her stay here would not be as quick and painless as usual.