I was the youngest son of a duke. I was not even close to being in the line to inherit. I did get a very good education and training with the new modern weapons. I studied the queen’s law and the common law. When I left home at eighteen I had a commission as one of the queen’s inspectors.

That meant I over saw constables and investigated crimes. Depending on where I was sent I could have anywhere from a half dozen men to fifty or a hundred. In my case I went further south to a port city called Greaves Landing. It was a moderate sized city with almost fifty thousand people.

The city had six districts so there were six stations with six inspectors. Since I was new I was going to take over the district that had the docks. The duke’s sheriff was old and the senior constable for the city and surrounding area. I had sixty constables working three shifts that overlapped.

I stepped down out of the coach and looked at the stone building that was now my station. I turned and looked at the driver, “you have the address to leave my trunks?”

He smiled, “aye sir.”

I nodded, “thank you Mr Walker.”

He had volunteered to bring me here. Father had paid him very well but it was still a long way from home and he would still have the two week journey back. I turned and headed for the door. I opened it to many people talking and a few arguing. I took a moment before I stepped in and closed the door.

The desk sergeant had a merchant and two dock workers in front of his tall desk but still glanced at me. I crossed the front area and pushed through the door into the constable sections. I headed down a hall as several constables turned to look at me and climbed stairs. On the next floor I headed to the front of the building.

I heard a few voices as I got close to the inspector’s office. When I stepped in three men turned to look at me. One was an over weight lieutenant, another was a slim captain with a uniform that looked like he slept in it. The last was plainly a merchant and he snapped, “get out before I shoot you!”

I ignored him and looked at the captain, “my name is Daniel James.”

He stiffened, “you were not supposed to get here until next week.”

I moved towards the large window, “I will need the station reports for the last month and all constable evaluation reports.”

The merchant glared, “I do not care who you are, get out or...”

I sighed and turned, “lieutenant arrest this moron and put him in the drunk cell for a few days.”

He looked at the captain who looked pale, “but...”

I pulled my weapon, “obey lieutenant or leave your rank and badge on my desk.”

He swallowed as the merchant puffed up, “do you know...”

The lieutenant caught his arm, “you better go mister Perkins.”

I brought the pistol up and aimed, “arrest him lieutenant or leave your badge.”

He sneered, “only the duke can take my...”

I fired past him and he jumped and the captain moved, “sir!”

I shifted aim, “I will not say it again. Leave now!”

I heard other constables running through the building as the lieutenant slowly removed his badge and dropped it on the desk. I gestured to the door, “get out.”

He spun and started to leave, “I will be back!”

I looked at the captain, “arrest him or leave your badge.”

I was removing and lifting my inspector’s badge. Constables stopped in the doorway and the captain swallowed, “he is a personal friend of the duke.”

I smiled, “I do not care who he is. First he is carrying a concealed weapon in my district. Second he is in a restricted area of my station. Third he made a direct and lethal threat to a queen’s inspector. Now either arrest him or leave your badge.”

The captain looked at the merchant who looked smug. When he did not move I did and ripped the badge off his shirt. I shoved him towards the door, “get out.”

I turned and extended the pistol as the merchant started to pull a weapon. He froze and I moved to him and placed the barrel between his eyes, “I guess I will have to kill you.”

He gasped and dropped to his knees, “wait! I...”

I slugged him and bent to yank him onto his stomach, “someone give me restraints!”

A moment and I had several shoved at me. I took one set and put the man in restraints and then searched him. I took the new pistol that was a twin to the one I held. I pulled him up and pushed him to the door, “someone put him in the drunk cell.”

I gestured to a sergeant, “you stay, everyone else get back to work.”

I put my weapon away and walked around the desk and sat. I looked at the mess of papers and reports and then at the sergeant, “now ... I have very specific orders from her majesty. First I want the other two lieutenants. Next I would like a moment of the magister’s time sometime this morning. Last I need to see the station reports for the last month.”

He nodded, “anything else?”

I smiled, “all constable evaluation reports and all the station sergeants. The last can rotate so the street constables have someone to contact if they need him.”

He turned and headed for the door and I set the pistol I had taken on the desk. I looked at the two badges and then began sorting and looking at the papers on the desk. Half went into a stack to be filed and a quarter into another for follow up. The rest went into the trash and then I started going through drawers.

I glanced up as two sergeants stepped in, “are you squad leaders?”

They looked wary but nodded, “yes sir.”

I dumped a drawer out, “first I do not tolerate constables accepting bribes. If I catch you or one of your men, you are gone. We do not assault citizens for making a complaint. Her majesty is very irritated with this happening. If she is not satisfied that we have fixed this we are all gone and she will bring in a completely new station and constables.”

They looked at each other and I started dropping things into the trash, “next is the smuggling problem on the docks. It stops now or every constable will be standing their watch on the dock until it does. According to her majesty’s customs officers, we are not responding to calls for inspection of suspected smuggler ships.”

I looked at them and then put the drawer back in, “I want more than a walk by on the district taverns, inns and saloons. I want several, especially at night. I also want their license checked. If it is out of date or missing they do not serve ale or any other drink. Last is murders, all constables will question everyone and send a runner for me.”

I looked at their uniform, “and I want all constables looking like they are proud to wear the uniform.”

They grinned and nodded and I gestured to the door, “go to work and spread the word.”

An hour and I had the office cleaned and straightened. I had spoken with every sergeant but the lieutenants had not come in. I sent a runner with her majesty’s orders to the sheriff to be passed to the other queen’s inspectors. I also spoke with my district magister who seemed extremely pleased.

I glanced at an older man in a fine suit when he entered and sat back, “your grace.”

He glared, “you will release Mr Perkins.”

I smiled, “actually he will stay right where I sent him. In three days his case will go to the magister. If convicted he will spend the next five years at hard labor. No one threatens me your grace and no one breaks the queen’s law in my presence. That includes you and your friends.”

He stiffened, “you want to see how long you last in my city?”

I stood and leaned on the desk, “and do you wish me to bring you before the queen for treason?”

He froze as he realized he might have gone to far. I nodded, “now I have orders directly from the queen. Would you like to send her a message and ask if she wishes me to disregard those orders because you do not like them?”

He cleared his throat, “perhaps we started off on the wrong foot.”

I sat, “your grace this district is corrupt and her majesty wants me to fix it. To be polite she is very close to taking heads starting at the top.”

He paled and swallowed, “but...”

I turned and looked out the window and down into the street, “your friends are corrupt and using you. If you do not wake up someone else will take your place and you will find yourself on the gallows. The smuggling stops, the drug dens stop, the selling of bond servants into slavery stops.”

I looked at him, “I have three months to show a change and six to correct the problems in my district. Now I can report you are helping or opposing me. Start cleaning house your grace before the queen does.”

He hesitated and then nodded, “I ... I will ... thank you.”

He walked out with slumped shoulders and I turned to the message tube running down to the desk sergeant and whistled into it. It took a moment before he answered, “sir?”

I looked at the badges, “send a runner to the two missing lieutenants. If they are not here in one hour they do not need to come in at all. Next I want the senior sergeant as soon as you can find him.”

He cleared his throat, “the lieutenants came in but ... they left. The senior sergeant is on the way to the docks for a reported death.”

I sighed, “send the lieutenants notice that they have been terminated. I will be down in a minute and need a runner to accompany me to the docks.”

I plugged it and looked at the papers on the desk before I stood. I slipped restraints from a drawer onto the belt at my back. I put on my coat and walked out and down. I stepped out in the lobby and saw the two lieutenants across the room with a man in a suit. I gestured to the constable runner and started for the door.

The lieutenants and the man in the suit moved towards me. The man in the suit stepped in front of me, “I am Jacob Collins. I am the solicitor for lieutenants Hicks and Moore. I will...”

I turned, “turn in your badges with the desk sergeant.”

I started to move around the solicitor and he moved in front of me again. I stopped and looked at him, “I will say this once so you better listen. My name is inspector James and I answer to the queen. The lieutenants were constables under my authority. When they refused my order to come in and see me they broke the oath they took.”

I looked at the two pale lieutenants, “that is all the grounds I need to dismiss any constable. Now if you obstruct me again I will have you put in a cell and charge you with obstruction. The penalty for that is six months on the work farms.”

I looked at the solicitor, “any question solicitor?”

He puffed up, “I will file an appeal with her majesty’s court.”

I smiled and started around him, “you do that but her majesty does not approve of constables disobeying her inspectors.”

The runner caught up outside and grinned as I strode down the street. I glanced at him, “what do you think of the senior sergeant?”

He shrugged, “sergeant Glenn is very good. He takes care of his constables and...”

I looked at him and he hesitated, “and?”

He sighed, “and helps people.”

I nodded, “good.”

We found six constables around the body and I opened my coat to show my badge. I stepped close and squatted, “murder or accident?”

The senior sergeant cleared his throat, “that depends on how you look at it.”

I looked away from the body and at the sergeant, “I look at it from the queen’s eyes.”

He shifted and nodded and then squatted on the other side of the body, “murder. If you turn him over you can see the single knife wound in his chest.”

The man looked like a sailor, “did he have a birth and do we have a witness?”

The sergeant glanced out the dock, “he came from the Gold Sea Swallow. We have two dock workers that saw his first officer do the deed.”

I stood, “have you sent for a wagon to take him to the morgue?”

He nodded as he stood, “I was waiting for an officer. We have orders not to touch any ships.”

I snorted as I started down the dock, “not anymore.”

I gestured back, “have someone get statements from the witnesses and cover the body.”

At the ship three men were on deck. I showed my badge and jumped aboard, “where is the first officer?”

They sneered and I pulled my pistol as three constables and the sergeant joined me, “fine you can join him on the gallows.”

They froze and their faces went pale before one stammered and pointed to a door, “he is with the captain.”

I strode across the deck and pulled the door open. Inside was a narrow landing with stairs going down on the right. Straight across was the captain’s quarters and I opened the door. Three men turned from a desk and one growled and reached for something in a drawer. I pointed my pistol, “if anything but your hand come out you are dead.”

He stopped moving and the other two sneered before one spoke, “you have no authority here.”

I moved into the room with two of the constables, “I am her majesty’s inspector so I do have authority. Now hands on the desk and one of you tell me who the first officer is.”

One looked at the other, “he is.”

I gestured with my weapon, “hands on the desk.”

The captain slowly pulled his hand out and I moved closer. I pulled the first officer back and pushed him to the sergeant, “you are under arrest for murder.”

He jerked and started to turn and the sergeant spun and slammed him into the wall. The captain came to his feet, “you can not...”

I faced him, “you and your crew move to the dock. We are going to search your holds and the crew quarters.”

He glared, “you do not have the right!”

I smiled, “unless you can show me a customs seal I do.”

The sergeant chuckled as the other constable pushed the first officer out. The captain lurched for the desk and the drawer but I still held my pistol. I waited until his hand came out and then shot him in the arm. He yelled as the pistol he held went flying. I moved in and grabbed him and slammed him over the desk, “now you will get to see the gallows.”

The sergeant had his pistol out and aimed at the other officer. I pulled my restraints from the small of my back and put them on the captain. He jerked and cursed me and I searched him and pulled him up and pushed him to the sergeant, “take him in and send the runner for more constables.”

Five minutes and the entire crew was on the dock with a dozen constables watching them. I led the way to the hold and stared when I removed the cover. In racks on narrow shelves were at least a hundred women chained up and I spun, “arrest them!”

That was my first case of the day. The captain and his crew were charged with slavery and the magister did not wait before sentencing them to the gallows. The first officer would join them but he was also charged with murder. The ship was confiscated and the women sent to one of her majesty’s shelters.

From there they would be freed even if they had been a bond servant. If the bond owner sold them he would be sent to a work farm for life. The shelter would help them find homes and jobs. The magister also informed me of the captain and lieutenants appeal. A simple statement of fact about all of them disobeying my orders was all he needed to dismiss the appeal.

I appointed the senior sergeant as the new captain and three other sergeants as lieutenants. I received veiled warnings from the other queen’s inspectors and sent one back that was clear and to the point. They had thirty days to show their districts were changing or they would be relieved and replaced by her majesty.

I went home in the late afternoon. Home was a manor a block from my station. Mr Walker had left my belongings and I sighed as I looked at the cases and then the sheet covered furniture. I removed my coat and rolled up my sleeves and started unpacking. Two hours later I answered the door and found the new captain.

He had a teenage girl with him and sighed, “sir this is Sarah.”

I looked at the girl and to him, “and?”

He smiled slightly, “and you are new to the city. The baronial council sent her to...”

He reddened and she smirked, “to warm your bed and service you.”

I shook my head, “to spy and report to them.”

She grinned, “they put me in bond. They are giving me to you. Simply register me with the magister and I would be bound to keep your secrets.”

I smiled, “you know a little of the bond laws.”

I gestured to the captain, “her papers?”

He pulled them from his shirt, “I checked the seals. Her father is baron Anter and he had the required two witnesses.”

I accepted the papers, “I will register her with the magister in the morning.”

I glanced at them and was surprised her father had listed her as a bed servant. I nodded, “thank you. Remember I need the recommendations for sergeants in the morning.”

He nodded and turned to leave and the girl walked in. She caressed my chest, “father is not going to believe he made a mistake. They will send a speaker tomorrow to blackmail you.”

I closed the door, “that would be a very bad mistake.”

She looked around, “so...”

I headed to the kitchen, “at least the kitchen is still stocked.”