Shooting The Messenger
Grace heard the whooshing sound and small clink as the little vessel reached her portal. She checked the pneumatic tube and found a letter in an unfamiliar hand. She turned and sat at her desk before unrolling it slowly.
In re Underby's Case
The dawn light seeped through the hazy Babbage air as Grace read over her final draft. She leaned back in her chair, joints in her hands aching and eyes bleary.
To The Clockwinder, Mosseveno Tenk, Mayor of New Babbage
and The Babbage Militia
In re: Underby's Case
The Letter of the Law
Grace slowly climbed the stairs to her office, the dark night close around her. She had much to ponder and research....
***
Diary, 27th August - Murder most foul....
Babbage and its citizens are in turmoil today. Last night, tragically, Pip Steamer was found dead in the holding cell where he was being kept by the brothers of the Church. Suspicion has made the rounds, from the Church members themselves to various individuals in town.
Diary, 24th August - To shoot, or not to shoot....
It has come to my attention that Babbage is a place where nearly all citizens are armed in some fashion on a day-to-day basis. As a pacifist I find it ... unsettling to think of arming myself, but as a woman alone with interests to protect I do believe it is time I consider some form of defense.

