Lair of Killers Read Online Free PDF Page B

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    “Hello,” Becket said. “How can I help you?”
    “Oh, nothing sir. Only saying hello. How about you join us?”
    “Some other time, perhaps. Have one or two for me, will you?”
    Johnson shrugged. “Okay. Have a good day, sir.”
    “And you as well. Thank you.”
    Back in his office, the noise of the celebration faded to a dull roar, and Becket almost regretted not taking Johnson’s offer. There was too much for him to do, though. It wasn’t his place. Becket couldn’t help but think Muldor would have stayed and spent time with the men.
    Some paperwork at his desk stood out, simple stuff like regular shipping orders, and he noticed the pile had grown smaller. Not good. Separate from normal Guild business, the everyday payroll of his dock and in particular his three piers, was a heap of unpaid invoices to take care.
    Like the other Dock Masters, he received a percentage of the total business that went through the piers, but he had to also pay his men. The Guild got another chunk of the percentage from the total. At the end of the day, Becket did well but with the amount of merchants that had abandoned them in recent months, his pay was getting smaller and smaller.
    The unpaid invoices were from the security men. They had accountants that they paid to send these pieces of paper to Becket’s office, and these men got a fee for this only because they knew how to read. Most of the time being able to bash someone’s skull in got you paid.
    Becket finished writing out checks and felt depressed how little was left over for himself. He was forced to funnel a lot of the extra petty cash into the extra security, but in the long run it would’ve been worth it. Maybe there was time to go back outside and have a drink or two.
    By the time he went out, most people had left for the day, and the boardwalk was cleared of most of the revelers. Becket said goodnight and hello to many of the security personnel before locking up his office and preparing to leave for the evening. Most of them looked bored and tired, perhaps a little drunk.
    The walk home brought him close to Madam Dreary’s, the lone house of ill repute in a city known for debauchery. Becket had never been. There were some rumors floating around to why he never went, and it bothered him sometimes, but what nothing could have been done.
    People of Sea Haven populated the streets almost every night. It was part of the reason he never had personal security with him. There were plenty of people about watching, and no one would have dared assault a Dock Master. People respected his rank and position. Plus, it was very expensive to pay for private security at all hours of the day.
    They had security at the docks, security at the wealthy quarter, and there were plenty of men on watch everywhere. Because of the lease terms with the foreign investors that own their homes, each person that lived in the wealthy quarter was required to pay for the security force protecting their homes and property.
    A lot of good it did. Their homes had been robbed, ransacked, and harassed for months. They should have hired a different security force, but nobody would have paid for it. The tenants there paid for the homes, for the security, the repairs, the upkeep, and the leasers paid for nothing.
    But the king, or someone associated with his royal highness, owned the land, a singularity within the city. The Guild owned the docks and the surrounding warehouses. Castellan had made sure of that some time ago by snatching up the deeds for each property. Of course, back then, well over a decade ago, the property had not been worth as much as it was today and nor was the Guild as profitable.
    But they had fallen far since then. Castellan was gone less than two years, and the Guild now was on the brink of collapse. Muldor had grand plans, but it would sooner bankrupt them.
    The gated wall leading to the wealthy quarter was manned every second of everyday and, the men by looked alert when Becket