Sunday Snippet: Underbelly

I seriously can't believe I'll be moving my daughter into her dorm in three weeks. It's coming up fast! She's very excited and I think I have almost everything she needs to be prepared for the daily masking, temperature taking, and hand sanitizing she's going to have to do.

On a super-positive note, I found an app that will let me not only brainstorm but will translate the long-form handwritten brainstorming I've done into text! This is true game changer for me. I'm so, so, so excited.

Had a semi-slow week for watching shows. I made some serious progress on getting my office cleared and organized. I'm almost ready to add a bookcase or two. I've been a little light on work projects so this is a terrific time to get the tedious sort, sort, sorting accomplished.

I did get to watch another episode of Peak Practice. I'm about midway through the second season and I have a sneaking suspicion someone will be leaving at the end of this one.

Also rewatched the second episode of Ms. Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries. I truly love this spinoff.

Caught "The Sontaren Experiment" episodes of Classic Who. It's a lot of fun to visit Sarah Jane way back when. I miss Elisabeth a lot.

Watched episode four of Picard. I'm trying to figure out what the captain's deal is. All of his holographs are versions of himself? I kind of love it but also really wonder about it.

Got a few more episodes of Danger Man in, both ones I didn't remember. I thoroughly enjoyed each.

Also watched another compilation of Cirque du Soleil shows. I honestly can't fathom how the performers do what they do. I'm always, always amazed at their ability. And the costumers and makeup artists along with the musicians pull everything together. It's mind-blowing.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Underbelly, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Jarrod Steele is a private investigator who deals with the weird and the unknown and can find anything his clients want. His super-efficient assistant, Maylin Rose, along with her unique skill set, makes sure of it.

And a preview snippet…

Jarrod straightened his clothes and grinned. Maylin started typing—something she could actually do but not accurately at her current speed—just before their prospective client entered the office.

She rose to offer a standard greeting. "Mr. Pemburke? Mr. Steele will see you right away." Ushering the man into Jarrod's office, she made the introductions. "Jarrod Steele, this is Mr. Aston Pemburke."

Jarrod stood and offered his hand. "Pemburke, what can I do for you?"

Maylin ducked out, no doubt going back to her desk to resume typing, but not before she turned the intercom record button on. She'd have an earphone in so she could listen to the entire meeting.

Aston didn't waste time, getting directly to the point. "Steele, I'd like to hire you to retrieve an object stolen from my family's estate." He sat down and reached inside his interior jacket pocket. "This is what was taken." He handed Jarrod a photograph of a cube with carved runes embedded on all sides.

Jarrod's curiosity piqued and he met Aston's gaze. "I'll need to know what I'm getting into here. The runes imply magick. Is there a protective spell or backlash to deal with?" He'd run into some nasty scenarios and now charged his client's accordingly.

Aston's eyes widened. "Uh, I'm not certain. The object is my father's and he doesn't know it's missing yet." He leaned forward. "I'd like to keep it that way. I know who has it but I can't get close to him."

Interesting. Jarrod mentally added another line item to the bottom line, as would Maylin when she gave Pemburke the contract.

Jarrod pulled out a notepad. "I guarantee confidentiality. You're the client. The rest of your family can be none the wiser." He glanced up. "Tell me who has it and anything else you can think of regarding the artifact."

Aston snarled. "Jayson Barrowman is the cretin who stole the cube from our home. He'll have it secured in his compound, which is a gated, guarded, and gilded monstrosity located in the foothills of Quark Mountain." His hands fisted in his lap. "You're not going to have an easy time of getting the cube back. I attended a party last month and it's nowhere on the main levels of the house. But I know it's there."

Jarrod narrowed his gaze. "How, exactly, do you know?" A red flag went up.

Aston shrugged. "I scried for the object. It's there but nowhere on the upper levels." He shifted his position on the chair. "Barrowman has to have a sublevel. There's no other explanation."

Jarrod jotted the information down but Maylin would already be researching the architect and builder details. "I'll look into whether or not he has one. It's not a problem if he does." Jarrod paused and met Aston's gaze. "Do you have proof of ownership? If you don't, things could get sticky." He'd had his share of off the books item-retrieval, which always got dangerous.

Aston withdrew another document. "This is a copy of the decree that gave my family control of the cube. My grandfather purchased the artifact from the Manchurins three decades ago."

Jarrod had a working knowledge of the Manchurins. Old family, old magick, old money that ran dry. But he now had a thread he could pull to find out more about the cube. Especially if Pemburke didn't give Jarrod more to go on.

Jarrod prodded Aston a little. "Okay, you've got ownership. Why did Barrowman steal the item?" A dispute between buyers couldn't be ruled out.

Aston glanced away. "I'm not completely certain. The cube has immense power if the wielder understands the runes and how they work. Barrowman fancies himself a dark arts master." Pemburke met Jarrod's gaze again. "Which means he could turn the power against whomever he wants to."

Well, hell. The stakes just anted up. And Pemburke knew more than he wanted to share with Jarrod. Another dollar sign to add to the contract.

Jarrod stood. "Pemburke, the terms for this case will be fluid, dependent upon what I'll need to get in and out of Barrowman's estate and how much trouble I have doing so." He wrote an amount down. "This is the amount to put me on retainer." Sliding the paper toward Aston, he waited until the man nodded to continue. "If I don't have the job finished within a week, I'll provide an update to you and only you. Since you want this to stay confidential, I'll contact you via a messenger service under the name Atlas Limited." He moved around the desk and directed Pemburke to Maylin's desk. "Maylin, please provide a standard contract with this amount as a retainer. We're leaving the expenses open-ended for now."

Maylin turned and opened a file cabinet to retrieve a contract.

Jarrod thrust his hand forward. "Thanks for coming in, Pemburke. I'll leave you in Maylin's capable hands." After a firm handshake, Jarrod reentered his office and strode over to the windows.

He didn't like the potential for mishap the cube represented. He'd be doing some careful research on any side effects handling the item might generate. Neither he nor Maylin needed another curse to be unleashed on them.

They almost hadn't survived the last one.

This story took on a life of its own and I'm completely okay with that. The sages knew exactly what little twist to add to make this ten times better.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye