Jordi’s Market, main concourse, Riverside terminal
Mid-afternoon
Elise had the front of the shop to herself for a while; the coworker who had come in for the morning had gone home, and the manager was in the back, doing paperwork. She wasn’t especially fond of having to handle customers on her own, but she’d been working there a while and it was about as good a job as you could get in high school – the hours were flexible, the customers mostly undemanding, and the location was bright, safe, and conveniently on the way between school and home.
The man who came in was hardly worth noticing at first; other than a face that looked a little too young for all the gray in his hair, a thoroughly average adult in a suit. Probably coming back to the station to head home after working the morning – many office workers had to come in on Saturday, and it wasn’t that unusual for them to start filtering out early.
Elise figured she could guess what he would buy – coffee or a bottled tea, as he looked too old for soda or juice, and probably a newspaper or magazine to read on the train. Maybe a pre-packed dinner, or some beer to bring home. She hoped he wouldn’t ask for some of the wine or liquor they had on shelves behind the counter – at her age, Elise was not supposed to sell them, and yet the manager hated being disturbed for small things.
The man did none of those, instead walking straight up to the counter. She hoped it was a question, and not a request for the liquor or for lottery tickets – with a sports betting shop elsewhere in the station, the manager here didn’t bother to stock them.
“Hello, sir, can I help you?” she said.
“I think so,” the man said, smiling slightly. He had a distinct accent but hadn’t said enough for her to place it. “I’ve seen you coming here before, you go to the Queen Sara Academy, yes?”
“I’m sorry, sir, I don’t think I know you,” said Elise; her hand was below the counter just over a pair of buttons, one of which could summon the manager from the back, the other of which was a silent alarm. Being in one of the biggest and busiest stations in the world, police were never very far away, and this location had literally never been successfully robbed.
“I’m sorry, miss, truly! I mean you no harm. I should have introduced myself first. My name is Paul Jekanis, here is my card.” He placed a business card on the counter, facing her. She read it without picking it up – it said he was an investigator for a company called Magnus Trading.
“Thank you, but what business do you have with me?” she asked.
“My employer does a lot of business abroad, especially in Obdrest. Your school is known for having the children of many important families.”
Elise said nothing, and he continued.
“It can often be worth knowing about their coming and going before their parents make the news. We have found commercial advantage in that in the past, but our contacts departed. I’m sure you’ve heard that some of the Obdresti students returned to their country?”
“Yes,” she said, “One of my close friends did.”
“So, when we hear about things like that, we are able to figure out that there may be turmoil in Obdrest, just as we now hear in the news. It lets the principals of my firm make better choices about where to send ships or invest in cargo.”
“Isn’t that insider trading?”
“I’m not a lawyer, Miss, but as I understand it such things are for public markets, not for the private purchase or consignment of cargo.”
The accent, she thought, sounded a bit like Old Imperial, as was his last name. She’d grown up knowing just enough to get by with older members of her family; three of her grandparents had been native speakers, and her father had been functionally bilingual.
“I see,” she said. “What is it that you’re asking me, exactly?”
“Just to let us know if there is anything of note at the school – new transfer students, people leaving to go abroad, any sons or daughters of VIPs making a name for themselves whether good or bad,” he said. “We’ll reward you generously for your time in letting us know whatever you find out.”
“I’ll think about it,” she said.
“Please keep the card and leave a message with the receptionist if you’d like to do business.”