Lt Colonel Renald leBlanc guided his horse slowly through the countryside. Most of the 4th Arq. had returned to Paris, but he had volunteered to stay with the rear guard and attend to some final regimental matters. At the moment however, he was attending to a more personal matter. "Let's see," leBlanc said referring to a small slip of paper. "According to this, the body was found right about here." He rapidly dismounted and strode over to a large stump next to the creek. Turning east, he said "Creek on the right, rock outcropping to the left . . . .this must be the place where Noir died." Pulling some wine and cheese from his saddlebags, Renald began to think. Noir's last letter mentioned that he had hidden some papers near here to await his return to Paris. Where could they be? The sun moved low in the sky as Renald finished the cheese and emptied the wine. Without those papers he would be no closer to finding the real reasons for Noir's murder. Renald absently watched two squirrels play with the remains of a knapsack as he tried to reason where noir would have hidden such a package. A knapsack?!?!?!?! Renald leapt from his seat scaring the squirrels away from their prize. It was quite worn and very wet, but the embroidery was still visible "Noir leBlanc, Major, Queen's Own Carabineers." Renald eagerly opened the bag and carefully pulled out the papers inside. Neither the squirrels or the weather had treated them well, but tey were still partly visible. Most were regimental adjutant paperwork, but the last -- the one right under Noir's appointment as Commissioner of Public Safety -- was perhaps the one he was looking for. "I have found . . . . witnesses . . . . evidence of corruption and . . . . even in the Ins . .General . . .return to Paris . . . ." "Mon Dieu!" Renald exclaimed! Could this be the key? Was Noir murdered because of what he had discovered? "I must return to Paris immediately. Surely someone in the city will be able to make more sense of this than I can." Renald leapt on his horse and began to gallop back to the 4th's encampment. There was much work to be done.
