City of Decay: The Cleaner | MxM

Chapter 2: Tales of the Wealthy

"So, what's the deal with this one?" I couldn't help but sound emotionless, poor Thomas, he did nothing wrong to deserve this. But this day has been dragging along so slowly. Once I got home, I took some painkillers and tried to sleep, but in the end, all I did was fall in and out of a state of unconsciousness. At least that's what it felt like. Needless to say, I am exhausted. I can't wait for this day to be over.

"We have a dead body at Lane's. Seems like the house lady's affair tried to get into the vault, so she had to get rid of him." Thomas hands me the documents. It's a single sheet of paper and I double-check. But that's really all there is.

"I guess Mr. Lane doesn't know about the affair?"

"He doesn't, but I guess he will ask questions if his affair doesn't show up anymore. Out of the blue."

I sigh. This is just the usual mess, isn't it? "So both of the Lanes had an affair with the same man."

"I like your quick thinking. We need you to eliminate every evidence of the lady's affair while also getting that crime scene cleaned up." Something catches my gaze. It's nothing more than a motion, and the moment I try to catch it without being too obvious about it, it's gone. The Bear's sniper is out and about, ready to be in a position to cover my back. I don't need to see it to know.

"Where exactly is the body located?"

"Right outside the vault, just follow the trail of their fight." I nod, indifferent to the information given to me. But I wonder... Why is there a trail of a fight leading up to the vault if she caught him trying to break into the vault? Did she confront him, walked him back, playing the nice spiel? Make him feel safe and forgiven before she attacked him? Then why would they fall back to the vault?

I know the Lane mansion, there are at least a dozen ways to escape, there's no need to stumble back down there. Unless...

"Did he manage to open the vault?"

"We don't know. Lady Lane was very secretive and asked that the vault door is not to be touched. So... if there's blood or anything on the door just leave it."

"Can do." It's not the first time someone asks me not to touch something, even though it would clearly benefit from a proper cleanup. But whatever's in this vault it must be valuable. Valuable enough that the culprit would rather go back after being confronted and possibly threatened than actually run for his life.

Technically, I don't care. I don't give a rat's ass about possessions. I've been let into all kinds of vaults and treasuries. I've dealt with the most expensive goods; it never once crossed my mind to take anything. It's mostly just useless junk, and if it isn't, it's not mine to take. My job is far more important than to jeopardize it for a little souvenir. But the whole thing becomes a different story if it could put me in danger. I mean, in more danger than my job includes anyway.

The amount of clients I had to refuse because the crime scene was in an extremely dangerous beast enclosure isn't exactly zero. And let's not start on the highly dangerous, magical artifacts some people hoard like it's just another coin in their collection. And that one guy with his room filled with carnivorous plants twice the size of me? Nah, fuck this. So if there's something in that vault that actively will try to harm me, I want to know it.

"Just to be clear, if this vault is getting on my nerves in any shape or form: I'm outta there. If I hear weird voices, feel my senses tingling, some weird pull, anything slightly dangerous; I'll bolt it, and you'll need to find someone else for the job."

"Eon, common. Even if it's locked up in a vault. Just do your damn job and everyone's happy."

"Except for the husband."