Chapter 8: Boat Party

Marinette remembered that the party where the crime happened was on a boat. The name sounded familiar.

She asked her friend Juleka, "Didn't you say the boat you live on is called the Liberty?"

"Yeah," said Juleka in a soft mumble.

"Has it been in your family long?"

"Long as I can 'member," said Juleka. "Grew up on it with my mom and bro."

"Does your mother ever have parties on it?"

"Sure," said Juleka. "Wanna party there? For Mom it's anything goes. She'd let us."

"We can plan something," said Marinette.

Marinette decided she might get more answers as Ladybug. She watched from a nearby rooftop and swung down when Juleka's mother was alone on the deck.

"Ahoy, Ladybug. What's happening? Is there an akuma about?"

"No, Ma'am. I'm investigating an old case and I could use your help."

"Call me Anarka. Anything to help catch that bilge rat Hawkmoth."

Labybug wasn't sure that the case had anything to do with Hawkmoth, but she didn't contradict her.

"Anarka, I had some questions about a party on your boat about sixteen years ago."

"Aye?"

"There was a woman named Tomoe Tsurugi..." said Ladybug.

"She was a friend and it's terrible what happened. I wish I'd never invited that whole blasted movie-making crew," said Anarka.

"She was your friend?" asked Ladybug.

"Aye, met her in Japan when I was touring in a rock band," said Anarka. "She came from a strict family that was training her to be a master fencer, but she wanted to try show business. She came back to Paris with us to look for a role in the movies."

"And she got one?" asked Ladybug.

"Aye, a lucky break it was. The lead actress was fascinated with her being the descendant of Tomoe Gozen," said Anarka.

"Who is that?" asked Ladybug.

"A famous Japanese warrior woman," said Anarka. "So far back the historian's aren't sure she was real. But Tomoe said she was."

"I came across something about her, I think," said Ladybug. "A temple in Tibet helped her?"

"That's what Tomoe said."

"How did they help?"

"Tomoe Gozen kept a diary on an old scroll. She said the monks loaned her a little magic dragon, like that character in Mulan but real. It gave her storm powers or something."

"Really? That's amazing," said Ladybug.

"It's how my friend landed the movie job. She said the leading actress was fascinated with her background and asked a lot of questions about her ancestor."

"What happened at the party that night?"

"Nobody knows for sure, but somehow Tomoe got a bad drink with wood alcohol in it. I've always suspected her family had something to do with it, because they didn't approve of her being in the movies. They wanted her back as a swordswoman."

"But would they blind her?"

"I don't know. It's a stretch, but family honor and all..."

"Any other suspects?"

"There could have been a love triangle, or bigger. I heard of issues between Tomoe and Emilie, also between her and Audrey, the girlfriend of the director."

"What about rumors of a cult?"

"That was exaggerated. There was just a lot of talk about magic artifacts in Tibet and China, and the powers they could grant. It was all nonsense, I see that now."

"Do you ever talk with Tomoe?"

"We lost touch when she went back to Japan after the incident. I heard that she went on to be a great sword fighter. She married a rich auto maker and has a daughter the age of my twins."

"You have twins?"

"Yeah, Juleka and Luka. Their father, my boyfriend of that time, left me and went on to be a big-time rock star. I don't want to talk about him. He hasn't set foot on this ship since the night of that party."

"He was there that night?"

"Aye, he was the one who mixed the drinks. But he had no reason to do anything. I got him off the ship before the police arrived and kept his name out of it."

Back home, Marinette talked with Tikki about what she had learned.

"That little dragon must be Longg, the kwami of Perfection," said Tikki. "I know that temple: it's the one that guarded many kwamis until it was destroyed about 170 years ago."

"Emilie Agreste was interested in Tomoe Gozen, and they all started talking about magic artifacts from Tibet that could grant powers. Adrien's mother disappeared about a year before Hawk Moth became active."

"So you think..." Tikki started to say.

"Could Emilie Agreste be Hawk Moth?" asked Marinette.