Conversation · Evrart Claire

"The people win, Harry." He nods solemnly and repeats: "The people win."

He thinks he can force you into his scheme. You can turn this around on him if you accept.

If you can stomach agreeing, you can turn this around on Evrart. And physically speaking -- you can stomach it.

Agreeing to take the contracts does not equate to you agreeing to actually help him...

Take the documents off him and you take his power.

"What would this entail?"

"You're right not to trust me. I take care of me. I'm a hustler. I grind. I'm a money engineer."

"Perfect, Harry! That's perfect!" he claps his hands. "My version of the left is not against the companies. It's with the companies. Honestly, what I have in mind is a business proposal. A left-wing business proposal, but still..."

"I am not a 'man of the left'. I'm a patriot of Revachol."

"Just between us, I don't care for those lefty dinks either." He immediately changes course. "It's all about power and here's how we're gonna get it -- I need you to be my kingsman, Harry."

Kingsman? Yes! Please, let's be that.

"This is another corrupt scheme, isn't it? I'm neither left nor right. I do what my heart tells me to do."

"What does your heart tell you about your lost gun, Harry? Does it tell you to forget about it? Or do you think it wants to be found?" He picks something from his teeth. "I think it's lonely and cold. I think it wants to be found and I have a proposal for you."

"You mentioned a lawyergirl?"

"Oh, Liz is a bright one!" He grins broadly. "I paid for that law degree myself, thinking it'll probably turn her all fancy, but hell, Harry -- she came back a firebrand socialist! Sometimes she scares me with her zeal."

Wait, the girl by the Whirling, who was keeping an eye on you -- is he talking about her?

Don't give him the pleasure.

"Did you send her to spy on me disguised as a gardener?"

"I did that, didn't I?" He snickers. "She thinks of herself as a guerrilla fighter. These middle-class kids and the books they read are crazy, Harry. I think she would rather be an insurgent than a lawyer. I hope it's a phase."

(Better not to mention it.)

"Oh..." He smiles -- it's another big grin. "And she also really likes gardening I hear. In March. Strange. Anyway, let's move on."

"There was a bullet in the hanged man's head."

"So they shot him?" He sounds pleasantly surprised.

"He was shot in the head before he was hanged."

"How odd." The man shrugs. "I don't know what to say, lieutenant. They told me they hanged him. A hanged man is what I saw when I took a look into that yard..."

It's impossible to say if he's telling the truth, sire.

"What I do know is -- the case is in safe hands. If anyone can get to the bottom of this shot-and-hanged man, it's my favourite policeman -- Harry."

"Yes. Someone shot him in the head before they hanged him."

"How odd." The man shrugs. "I don't know what to say, Harry. They told me they hanged him. A hanged man is what I saw when I took a look into that yard..."

"Guess what? Not only was the hanging a cover-up -- it was orchestrated by a woman named Ruby."

"Ruby?" His belly rolls as he laughs to himself. "You come across some wild characters, Harry, let me tell you! Ruby, huh? I guess you need to discuss her too?"

"Do you know Ruby?"

"No," he says looking at the swordfish-clock inattentively. "I don't remember hiring any Rubies to the Hardie boys."

There's more to this.

"All right."

"Indeed, my friend. All is right."

His smile is so wide it could blanket the universe.

"So this Ruby is not running a drug operation for you, Evrart?"

"I'm gonna say no," he says decisively. "I would say I don't have a drug operation, and if I did, I wouldn't have some Ruby, whom I don't even know, running it. I'd hire cops or... my mom. I don't even know, Harry."

"I'm not a drug dealer." Suddenly he starts laughing. "For a moment it seemed like you were on the track, had a good theory there, but now it's getting convoluted. My suggestion is to keep it simple. Truth is always simple."

He's thinking: Damn, what a mess. Good thing this isn't gonna come back to me.

This woman may be running drugs for him. There's no way he doesn't know her.

He remains honestly disappointed they didn't kill him.

"There were other things I was wondering about."

"Of course there were." He nods.

"You're disappointed. Why did you want them to have killed him?"

"Why was I disappointed that they didn't start a war? I'm not a floozy, Harry." He flashes you a sly smile. "You don't just get to second base with Evrart like this. We're at first base, Harry."

"In the future, I could use your backing. Can you ask the Hardie boys to cooperate?"

"But of course! It's the least I can do for my good friend, Harry. I'll do it right after we've concluded this talk."

You can now go and tell Titus about this. See what he has to say.

"Also, Harry, here's five reál." He holds out a banknote.

"Wait, why are you giving it to me?"

"I'm not giving you anything. I'm just holding out five reál."

Needless to say, this is another move. Don't take it.

Take it.

The lieutenant watches you pocket the bank note. He looks a little puzzled.

How many micro-bribes would this guy take?

"Good boy, a real team player." He rubs his hands together. "Now -- do you have any more questions?"

"I don't need it, I only wanted you to help me with the Hardie boys."

"Oh, I wasn't offering it to you, just holding it out there." He pockets the bill. "But I am willing to share information. Was there anything else?"