In which we tell the tale of Derrick Anastas and people of questionable intentions
A Summary Thus Far: We have met our protagonist, who is not in a situation he would choose for himself, if given the choice.
Prologue
If Derrick hadn't been in the situation that he was in, finding the card might have put him into the thick of things anyway. However, as it was, Derrick was dead to begin with, and had been for two years when he found the card on the stairwell.
It had been a normal size, as business cards go, and cream-coloured. "Dene Surma" it said in large writing at the top with just a touch of fancy to it, but that wasn't what caught Derrick's eye. It was the small words written underneath, which said, in the same fancy writing:
"Private Investigator. Dragonslayer. House Painter."
He'd trailed his finger across the very bottom of the card, where small letters simply said 'By Appointment' and a phone number, sandwiching a strange symbol that looked like a chicken foot, and he thought.
Derrick didn't need a house painter, and he wasn't sure there were any dragons around, but he did need a private investigator.
For, you see, Derrick didn't know who'd killed him.