Hides bribe at crime scene

“All right. And the money, ma’am?”

“The money and the wall pass we shall… use,” she said slowly. “We
shall use it to determine if our colleagues on this investigation are true and
faithful servants of the Empire. For I still worry, Din—why did they not
look into Blas? Why did they not seek out Aristan? These are very common
procedural tasks! Did someone on the team know Aristan had been
murdered? Did they know Blas was so wildly corrupt?” She cocked her
head. “Could Kalista be false? She seems to have a taste for things rich and
fine. Or perhaps it is Nusis? For she worked alongside Blas on the
Preservationist Boards. Or is Uhad, so old and feeble, willing to be paid for
some comfort in his later days? Or perhaps Miljin? Or is none of it
malfeasance, and all of it is simple ineptitude? I do not know.”
A tense silence. I felt a terrible sense of dread brewing in me.

“And… how shall we use the money to answer any of those questions,
ma’am?” I asked.

“Oh, well, Din.” She smiled wearily. “You’re going to take that money
and that wall pass… and you’re going to stick it with Aristan’s corpse.
Someplace where it is easily found. Then I shall ask Uhad to investigate…
and we shall see how much of that money makes it back to us.”

I gaped at her in horror. “First you want me to run off on our own
investigation—now you want me to fabricate a murder scene?”

“Oh, it’s not too much fabrication,” she said, waving a hand. “I’m not
asking you to fucking kill someone, or something! Consider it simply a very
unusual method of submitting evidence to the investigation.”

- The Tainted Cup, Chapter 18 pg. 163

---

"I WAITED FOR the door to shut before asking, “How went today, ma’am?”
“Inconclusive,” she sighed. “Miljin found the corpse, and the money,
and the wall pass. He was outraged and shocked. He then brought it to
Uhad, who was similarly outraged and shocked. Uhad showed it to Kalista,
who was also very outraged and shocked. Then Miljin departed to bring
Nusis in—I suspect you passed him as he left—and I expect she, too, will
be appropriately outraged and shocked. I have done a lot of insipid
pretending today, Din, but I have not yet detected a false note from any of
our colleagues. All have reacted as they should.”

“Then do you trust them now?”

“Oh, no. I continue to feel something is amiss here."

- The Tainted Cup, Chapter 19 pg. 176