Sairis's POV
Sairis stepped into the king's outer office and his eyes went straight to Edgar's table, but his chair was empty.
He walked over and stood there for a moment, rubbing his arm absently where the granary manager's grip had left a dull ache that had not fully faded on the walk back.
If nothing else had confirmed it, the manager's reaction had. A man with nothing to hide did not grab a visitor by the coat the moment he realized what they were asking about.
He did not get hostile and physical over questions about purchase records.
The granary manager had done both, which told Sairis that the man had known exactly what those questions were leading to and had panicked.
The woman at the front desk had known something was wrong for a long time. She had just been too careful, or too afraid, to say it plainly.
Sairis sighed softly, already feeling the warmth trapped inside the office. He pulled off his coat and placed it over the visitor chair in front of Edgar's desk.
