by Chester Seaton, News

4/4/282- While the stocks of private security firms across the Triumvirate may be up, it would seem the recent murders of several high profile business executives have had the opposite effect in other sectors. New reports say that consumer faith in several of Crowndon’s key exports has plummeted in recent weeks.

“How would you feel as a stockholder in an environment where the leadership could change, violently, at any given moment,” said Abraham Comstock, a business analyst in Walsh. “After the CEO of Fornherst Engineering was murdered, his replacement wasted no time in driving the business into the ground.”

While other affected businesses have replaced their departed with much more competent leadership, the example set by Fornherst Engineering set a poor precedent. It doesn’t help that other recent incidents, such as the winter of 280, the Desantana Uprising and ensuing Blackwood shortage, the Heisenberg Disaster, and the Great Tuna Heist perpetuated by Roderick La Pierre have left the citizenry feeling like Crowndon’s economy has been under attack for the last three years.

“It all feels a bit coordinated, no?” Comstock said. “Almost like someone somewhere is pulling strings. I’m not one to jump at shadows, to point fingers and posit insane theories, but this destabilization of Crowndon’s economy coupled with the attack on the Arms Summit last year almost feels like it’s all been a part of some systematic deconstruction of the Empire to me.”

Statements made by the lead inspector on the murders in Toring, Donovan Wick, would seem to lend credence to this idea.

“It might sound crazy,” Wick said, “But given the coordination and efficiency of these murders, and taking into account the domino effect they have caused throughout the business community, I must admit the possibility of something more going on. I’m reluctant to pin these crimes on some shadowy, global conspiracy that has it in for the Triumvirate…but I’m not ruling it out completely, either.”