title=Patric and the idols
text.t1=I met an odd merchant in front of the French Governor’s Residence named Patric. He’s more than a little strange, so in case that’s catching, I backed up fast. But maybe there's something wrong?
text.t2=This merchant named Patric, more than a little strange, was worried about some idols he’d been commissioned to get and deliver, and then had them stolen. He acted like he wanted help, but when we began to discuss my compensation Patric’s greed got the better of him, and he wouldn’t pay me what my time is worth. Well, it’s his loss, and his hide!
text.t3=For a minor fee I’ve agreed to help a French merchant named Patric Cardone retrieve some statuary he’d been commissioned to get, and then had stolen from him. I suspect he was double-crossed. I need to find a man who’s a tall Spaniard with long, black hair and a scar on his face named Teodoro Fernandez.
text.t4.p1=The Tavern is always a good place to go for information, but the owner, Antoine Lebretton, needed some assistance with his memory. Golden assistance. Though he didn’t recognize the name ‘Teodoro Fernandez’, and laughed outright at the ‘tall dark scarred Spaniard’ bit, he commented that a stranger named Geronimo Elcano might just be my man. Elcano’d rented a room for a night, and left after speaking to one Lucien Bescanceny. Antoine said Bescanceny is dangerous...I told him my middle name’s dangerous!
text.t4.p2= Antoine then looked at his room registry, and told me what my middle name is actually listed as...I got directions to Bescanceny’s house. Upon leaving the Tavern, I’m to turn to my right and go through first one, then another set of city gates. He lives in a house on the other side of that second set of doors. I’m kicking myself for registering for my tavern room using my middle name. Must have been the wine I had to drink to get the scoop out of Antoine...
text.t5=Lucien was dangerous, all right! A danger to himself he was so drunk! I tricked him into thinking I was his contact, and he told me all I needed to know. I’d hoped he would lead me to the stolen idols, thinking no fool would hide them anywhere nearby. Well, Lucien was no common fool. He was an UNCOMMON fool, he’d hid them right in the house! With this, I have all I need to get Patric out of his mess!
text.t6=Patric was excited as I went to update him. He blurted out that he saw Teodoro ducking into the house to the left of the church almost right in front of him! No time to loose, I told him I was going straightaway.
text.t7=I didn’t catch Teodoro in there, but I did catch a Raoul Calmes. He carries himself like a respected figure of the town here, but he’s as oily a customer as ever I met. I can’t imagine why he came so unglued as I burst into his house... I mean, after all, I am the soul of wit and charm! He denied the obvious fact that Teodoro had been by to see him. To top that off, he hid some papers behind his back he tried to explain were letters to a niece or some such. Well, they weren’t, they were mighty incriminating documents, and just the ones I've been looking for! Two birds with one stone indeed!
text.t8=I didn’t catch Teodoro in there, but I did catch a Raoul Calmes. He carries himself like a respected figure of the town here, but he’s as oily a customer as ever I met. I can’t imagine why he came so unglued as I burst into his house... I mean, after all, I am the soul of wit and charm! He denied the obvious fact that Teodoro had been by to see him. To top that off, he hid some papers behind his back he tried to explain were letters to a niece or some such. Well, they weren’t, they were mighty incriminating documents! We’ll see how respected he is about town when these are looked at by the right officials!
text.t9=Patric was ecstatic that I’d confirmed that Teodoro had indeed hired the thieves that stole his statuettes. He was so happy that he couldn’t move, and asked me to go find a French military officer to report my findings to. I’m getting the impression of Patric, though, that on a good day he has a hard time remembering what his name is, and where his merchant stall lies. No matter, the officer will no doubt respond better to me than Patric...
text.t10=The officer listened intently and promised to follow up on the information I presented him with. I have a good feeling about this, I think we may have gotten somewhere.
text.t11=Patric greeted me with the news that a guard was by only minutes before I showed up, grateful that I’d helped find the statuettes and get Teodoro arrested. He seemed almost lucid! I went my way from there, feeling good about another job well done. All in a days work for a hero of the seven seas, suave and debonair, a man of the seas, learned in the ways of the world, streetwise and smart, humble to a fault...
