Chapter ONE - Weebly

dangerous. That brooch—it was taken from a girl—”
“Jennifer Berson.”
“That’s right,” Ethan said. “She’s…” He hesitated.
He didn’t want to frighten the girl, but she needed to
understand her peril. “She’s dead now.”
“I know,” the girl said solemnly.
“Whoever sent you—whoever has that brooch—
might well have been the person who killed her.”
“You’re a thieftaker,” she said. “Isn’t that right?”
He nodded, frowning. “Yes, but—”
“Then all that matters to you is the brooch. If you
find that and give it back to her family, you’ll be paid.”
“How is it you know so much about thieftaking?”
“Am I right?” she asked.
Ethan stared at her. He wasn’t just talking to the girl,
he knew. This was a negotiation with the person who
had sent her, who might well be close enough to hear
everything they said. In the end, he decided to treat it
that way. “It’s not that easy,” he told her. “Jennifer
Berson is dead, and her family is entitled to know why,
and who’s responsible.”
The girl shook her head. “You’re a thieftaker. The