“We’ve just had a little more experience with money grubbers than most.” Pookie smiled, sipping at her own drink.

“Umm…cam I ask a question?” Spyder said.

“You not only can, you may.” her companion said.

“Huh?”

“Never mind.” Pookie waved. “What’s the question?”

“Well, you keep talking about how clever the Duc is.” Spyder frowned. “I wasn’t all that impressed with him.”

“Bit of a scum bag, isn’t he.” Pookie said with a grimace. “Do you see what I mean about the offers female bodyguards get?”

“So what makes him so clever?”

“You have to learn to listen closer, dear.” Pookie said. “The Duc had no intention of paying us…or anyone else regardless of the failure or success.”

“He didn’t?”

“Add up the pieces.” Pookie said, counting off the points on her fingers. “First, the farmers try to expand their holdings and run into a local critter, the Hefalump, that takes offense at their trespassing. Second, by his own admission, the Duc would have ignored it, but the farmers threatened to withhold their tax monies unless he did something. His response was to offer a reward to anyone who would kill or scare off the beast.”

Spyder frowned thoughtfully, then shook her head.

“So what’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing’s wrong with it.” Pookie said. “It’s actually very clever. He had to do something, so what he did was make an offer. A move that cost him no money or effort. Simply by making the offer, he kept the farmers paying taxes.”

“…And if anyone were actually successful going up against the Hefalump, he could renege on the payment and it still cost him nothing.” Spyder finished. “That is kind of clever. But we outfoxed him with this escrow thing. Huh.”

“Not really.” Pookie shrugged. “Remember the sheriff here answers to the Duc.

That why the Duc agreed to readily. Tell me, sheriff, were your instructions to send the money back as soon as we went after the Hefalump, or were you supposed to wait until tomorrow?”