A special thank you to guest reviewer, Neb. You really tickled my funny bone with your supposition about Constantine. Even now it makes me grin. Thank you!
This game belongs to Level 5 and Capcom. If I owned it, we'd still be getting special episodes, maybe a spin-off taking place in Labyrinthia, a translated art book...and so on and so on.
Eve's Magical Adventure
Chapter 6: The Case of the Suspect Substitute, Act II
Morning came with broad swaths of sunlight, the brightness of which gradually woke Eve. She raised herself on an elbow, realizing that she had finally succumbed to her need for sleep; though it had not been enough and she closed her eyes again for a few minutes. Telling herself resolutely that she had to get up and busy herself, she poked her feet from beneath the sheets and slid to the edge of the bed. Letting slumber take her for a longer time was a luxury that she could not afford most days and this one was no exception.
Ten minutes later she quit her house and slipped through the misty forest which gradually gave way to a warm morning. By the time she reached the bakery, her cheeks were pink, her breath came in quick little spurts and her stomach made it known how empty it was. She saw as she approached that the baskets at the front of the shop were already half full of the day's baking. She noticed also that a knight stood to the side of the entrance; it was requirement for anyone put under house arrest, but neither she nor anyone else felt there was any need for a guard. Her step faltered as she passed beneath the awning, her eyes drifting apprehensively through the room.
Barnham was pounding some dough at the counter (was he always doing that?) Patty was inserting several long loaves into the oven, and Espella was helping a couple of customers with their orders. The girl smiled and gave a slight wave to her friend; Eve nodded in return, but her lips seemed to be frozen into a nervous frown. She glanced at the knight; he hadn't raised his eyes when she entered and he seemed oblivious to her presence until she moved nearer the counter to make room for a departing customer.
As she met his gaze she swallowed whatever words formed on her tongue. Sometimes it was hard to tell if he was angry or not; the position of his eyebrows and their nearness to his eyes gave one the impression that he was perpetually vexed, unless one knew him and looked for other signs. However, as his features were rather stoically set, Eve could not glean anything about his exact frame of mind.
"Miss Eve," he said, nodding his head slightly. Then he turned his attention back to the task at his hands.
Constantine poked his nose around the corner of the counter and looked up at her as if he expected something. He wagged his tail a couple of times as he lolled his tongue and made little wuffing noises. Hardly had he appeared than he was gone again.
"Have you come to ensure that I followed your order?" Barnham questioned, giving no eye contact. He curled one corner of his lip and lowered his brows still further.
Eve detected sullenness in his tone. Her own annoyance came to a head when she remembered how difficult he'd been; if anyone should be cross it was certainly her. She moved nearer to avoid anyone else overhearing them and, folding her arms, she glared at him.
"You needn't be ridiculous," she retorted. "As for why I've come, why 'tisn't any of your concern…unless you've decided to be more cooperative."
He lifted his eyes again and his expression had not changed; it reminded Eve of a petulant child. Seeing him thusly affected brought her a bit of satisfaction after her own mental wrestling match, but she quickly quelled those thoughts as being too mean-spirited for someone in a responsible position such as hers. As she watched him, the threads of her ire began to fray at the edges despite her efforts to keep it intact.
"I have nothing more to say on the matter," said he. "I'm sorry, Lady—Miss Eve."
"Very well, then," she replied with a flash of her eyes. "Let me tell you this, Zacharias Barnham: I do not know what you're trying to keep such a secret but I am going to find it out. You can count upon that."
Feeling oddly exhilarated, she abruptly turned away from him and discovered that the bakery's mistress and her friend were casting none too surreptitious glances her way. Brushing a bit of hair from her eyes and capturing a quick, if somewhat shaky, breath, Eve approached other two ladies.
"Good morning, Mrs. Eclaire. Please pardon me for interrupting your work." She finally managed to break into a tiny smile for Espella.
"Think nothing of it, my dear. I had hoped you could talk some sense into him if anyone could, but I see he is as stubborn as my late husband was about having pickles at the dinner table."
"Pickles, Aunt Patty?" Espella questioned with a quirky little cock of her brow.
"Oh, never mind about that now, child. I know you two are going out, so Zacharias and I will see to the bakery," the lady said as she arranged more loaves on the shelf. "Eve, have you eaten yet?"
That young woman's eyes jumped back to the inquirer thereof. "No, I haven't, Mrs. Eclaire," she replied, her mouth parted slightly in what her friend knew to be her surprised look.
The baker pressed a bun, still warm from the oven, into her hand. "You and Espella can find something else in the pantry. Now I want you to make sure you're back here in time for dinner, you hear?"
"We will, Aunt Patty!" the blonde girl assured her as she grabbed for Eve's hand.
Before she let them leave, the redheaded woman leaned nearer and whispered, "And I hope you will find out exactly what happened. The very idea of Zacharias taking anything is simply preposterous!"
The young ladies averred that they would leave no stone unturned and then made for the door at the back of the room. As she passed Barnham, Eve sent one more glare to the side of his bent head as if daring him to interfere with her plans. Then she and Espella descended into the delightfully cool cellar for a minute while her friend selected a length of sausage Patty had purchased from the butcher, a chilled bottle of milk and a couple handfuls of early strawberries. With Eve the cat following them on silent paws, they mounted the stairs to Espella's room.
"It's not too warm in here yet," said the owner of the small bedchamber. She set the food on the table and pulled the two chairs nearer the open window. "Now, where do we start?"
"Where else than where it all began?" Eve replied, taking a bite of the morsel Patty had all but forced upon her. "Mmm… This is delicious, Espella. Did you make it?"
"No, Mr. Barnham made that batch, except Aunt Patty had to rescue them from the flames."
She gave Eve a sideways look as if she hoped for her to say or do something, but the blonde girl was disappointed when her friend continued to enjoy the bun as if it mattered not who had constructed it. Shrugging, she took a couple of berries from the small bowl on the table.
"'Tis quite good considering that."
"He's also been trying to improve his éclairs," the girl added, unable to keep a grin from poking up the corners of her mouth.
Eve swallowed a bite almost too soon. "Hmph. How amusing," she said dryly. "As fascinating as is the subject of non-lumpy éclairs, we'd best not distract ourselves from our reason for being here."
"I know. I'm sorry," Espella replied, pulling her lips into something more serious. Then she bounced from her chair to pour a bit of milk for her cat. "So we'll go to Mrs. Gewler's shop. Do you think she'll have anything new to tell us?"
"Of that I am doubtful. We'll ask her about the circumstances around the time her ring disappeared—who else was there, what she was doing at the time, where she searched for the ring and so on."
"Oh, I know," Espella mumbled through the meat in her mouth which she quickly washed down with a gulp of milk. "After that we should ask the other people in the area too. That part of town is not usually as bustling as the marketplace and perhaps someone saw something."
"Indeed."
The two were quiet for several moments as they watched the feline daintily lap the fresh milk. They each consumed a link of the sausage and then shared the utterly delectable strawberries which Espella had gathered just the other day with Nell and some other children from the village in the forest.
"…Do you know why Zacharias was in that shop in the first place? I wouldn't think he could afford many of the items offered there."
The blonde girl popped a pink finger from her mouth and spoke around a berry on her tongue. "Uh-huh, I've seen the prices. He wanted to find something pretty and not too expensive— Ooh, I wasn't supposed to tell you that!"
Eve raised both brows. "What? Is this the confidence you wouldn't break last night?"
A flush as bright as the strawberries came over Espella's cheeks. "Uhm, yes, that was part of it…but you can't let him know I told you, Eve!"
Resisting the urge to smile, the former high inquisitor assured her she wouldn't mention it. "Then he purchased nothing at Mrs. Gewler's shop yesterday?"
"That's right. Do you want the last strawberry?"
"No, thank you. How do you know these things, Espella? You weren't with him, were you?"
"Oh no. I would have told you if I had. He told me about it after he returned to the bakery, before we had to leave for the play." She frowned a bit as she reflected, "Hmm, now I wish I had been there; I could have kept on eye on the ring and I could tell her he didn't touch it."
"There's no sense in wishing, you know. I'd be better satisfied with the knowledge of what really happened."
"Yes, of course. This is rather exciting, do you not think, Eve? I remember investigating with Mr. Wright and Mr. Layton… It would have been more fun except for the sense of danger."
Eve glanced at her friend and studied her, relieved that she showed no signs of distressed by those memories. "Exciting…? Investigative work is usually rather tedious but it's not so bad when you can delegate the work to subordinates." In fact, within her was awakening the thrill of operating in an investigative role again, save that the circumstances were not fraught with the deception of illusions. "Are you finished?"
"Yes. Let's get to work!"
Espella grabbed the bottle of milk and the two of them descended the stairs again. The blonde girl bid goodbye to the bakers, both senior and apprentice, and the young women stepped out to the street already warmed by the sun. Eve's face was set with the resolute expression of an inquisitor who would get what she wanted no matter the difficulty, while Espella's demeanor was less severe, but she also had a determined spark to her eye.
As the cobbles passed under their feet like so many stepping stones, the two girls passed a multitude of shops, street stalls and homes that they knew so well. All sorts of scents assailed them, and over their heads colorful flags and banners fluttered in the breeze. The citizens they saw were also familiar to them; these people invariably greeted the two as they walked by, and some inquired about the rumors which were circulating between quick tongues about Barnham. Eve and Espella had to calmly assure them that there was no worth real worth to those stories and they were finding out the truth of the matter.
Children roamed the streets, playing and ducking around carts, barrels, the adult townspeople and any other obstacles that happened to confront them. Others were accompanied by a parent and in some cases tasked with helping to transport the day's purchases. A boy ran up the street, waving a fish crazily over his head and being chased by the fishmonger's wife. Another lad carried the baskets for his heavily pregnant mother and they were followed by a good half dozen other children of varying similarity.
"It's the glassblower's family," Espella needlessly told her friend.
Her eyes no longer on the road before them, she waved cheerily to the familial procession. The next moment brought her to a halt as a ball bumped into her leg. She stooped to pick it up and then found herself looking into the earnestly green eyes of a girl about six or seven years old.
"Sorry, Miss Cantabella," the child said, reaching for the toy. "It was Tommy's fault. He kicked it too hard!"
Espella smiled warmly. "It's all right, Phoebe. No harm done." She handled the ball for a moment, considering the ingenuity of a mother in using tightly bound fabric scraps to make such a simple toy for her child. Then she returned it to the girl. "Is this a new one?" she asked, remembering the well-worn ball she'd witnessed Phoebe playing with just a couple of days before.
Clutching the spherical item tightly in both hands, the girl glanced up at the young woman who addressed her. She looked a bit uncertain as she replied, "Y-yes. My mum gave it to me this morning. Look!" She held the item up for inspection. "It's nicer and it bounces higher!" she exclaimed, and exhibited the elasticity of her toy.
Espella's smile widened. "That's marvelous!"
Her friends called for her, but before she returned to the alley which had contained their games, she lifted her face once more. "Um, Miss Cantabella?"
"Yes?"
"My mum said you made the pictures in my special book. Did you really make them?"
Eve and Espella moved closer and the latter bent to the level of the child. "Yes, my dad and I worked together to draw the pictures in your book. Do you like them?"
With her mouth almost splitting her face in two, Phoebe nodded exuberantly. "I love it! My mum and dad read it to me every night! I like the girl's dinosaur. He's funny!"
The face of the blonde young woman positively glowed with pleasure, her eyes shimmering with gratitude. "…Oh, I will have to tell Dad about this! Would you like to tell him, too?"
At mention of such a lofty personage as the Storyteller, the girl giggled nervously, pulled the ball closer to her small chest and ran back to her friends. Espella rose, stared after her for a moment, and then again fell in step with her friend, the smile still playing merrily about her lips.
"Oh, Eve!" she breathed. "The children really love our books! Isn't that wonderful?"
"You've seen how happy they are to receive those books during the parades."
"I know, but it's just not the same as hearing what Phoebe said. And none of this would have happened if not for your idea!"
"It was merely an idea; you and your father made it a reality."
Espella laughed and linked arms with her friend. She wanted to dwell longer on the delightful things the child had told her, but she felt obligated to turn her mind to the important matter of the investigation at hand, as they were nearing the northern avenue through which the parade always passed. She tucked every bit of her conversation with the little girl into the safest corners of her brain, where she could later present in its entirety to her father.
Without a customer in her shop, Mrs. Gewler was a picture of discontent; her slight frown deepened when she noticed the approach of the two young women. Her establishment was situated just off the main road, a position which she held onto like a hawk to its prey, as less dust was kicked up on that smaller street. However, she still received many customers from the visiting tourists and though her wares were expensive and sometimes overpriced, she sold many a bit of jewelry or other extravagant accessories to them.
"Good morning, Mrs. Gewler," Eve said as they came to a halt in front of her place of business.
"Ah, so you've come at last," the woman responded testily. She moved from the inner part of the shop to the bit of the cobbles which were considered hers, where a couple of tables were set up with some the less costly merchandise. "Well?! Has that knight confessed to taking my ring?"
Eve's own eyes narrowed slightly and she set her lips. "Mrs. Gewler, we no longer have witch trials in this town. We cannot point fingers and operate on pure speculation as we did before. We must have proof."
"That's our purpose in coming here," Espella added, her own features less austere than those of her friend. "Please, we need you to tell us everything that happened both before and after you found the ring was gone."
"Hah! Great lot of good that'll do you! I told you I couldn't find it, did I not? I had my girl look again this morning and there was no sign of it!"
"Your girl?" questioned a somewhat puzzled former inquisitor. "You don't have a daughter, do you Mrs. Gewler?"
"Of course not! She's just a wench I pay to do the cleaning, and I tell you, she isn't worth it. She's careless and leaves at least half the dust behind!" The woman shook her head and clicked her tongue disapprovingly.
"And you're quite sure she knows nothing of the missing ring?"
The shopkeeper lifted her nose in the air. "Certainly not! She wouldn't dare take it. She knows she could never sell it without my finding out."
Eve resisted the urge to let her derisive laugh escape. Why then do you suspect Zacharias? Would he not have the same trouble?! Or are you afraid he would take it to the mainland? How ridiculously absurd!
"Would you mind if I take a look around too, Mrs. Gewler?" Espella inquired. "I'm pretty good at finding lost things at the bakery, so Aunt Patty says…"
That lady's expression descended a little further down the slope of disagreeability. "What do you expect to find, missy? Do you expect to say an incantation and magically find my stolen ring?!"
Eve gasped and immediately choked before she could properly express herself.
"No," the blonde young woman returned evenly. Only her lip was a bit stiffer than usual. "I just think another pair of eyes never hurts in something as important as this."
"Fine, do what you like," the shopkeeper replied, dismissively waving a hand. "You want to look? Go ahead. Find your proof!" She hardly glanced at the girl. "But you'd better be careful! If you break anything you will have to pay for it."
"I shall be very careful," Espella said and quickly stepped into the nice little shop.
Hard pressed to keep the scorn from her voice, Eve's eyes flashed as she fixed the woman with an eerily steady gaze. "Mrs. Gewler, while I appreciate your concern over your merchandise, I ask that you do not speak to my friend in that manner. She—both of us—are attempting to clear up this case and we require your cooperation. That is…unless you do not wish for us to find what really happened to the ring. I can assure you, however, that your accusation against Barnham will not stand without proof of wrongdoing."
Mrs. Gewler's mouth opened and then snapped shut again. "I…uh… I, well…" she mumbled, her tongue not quite catching up with her brain. Her hands fluttered as she plied nervously at one of her mid-length sleeves.
"Now then, tell me everything that happened during and after the time Zacharias Barnham was here."
After a few more moments of spluttering, the woman began to relate those events of the previous afternoon. The knight had come to her shop and asked to see some of her jewelry. She had jumped to the chance of selling something to one of the most celebrated people of Labyrinthia and brought out every piece for his consideration.
"But he turned down every one!" she groused, as if it had been his intent. "He asked if I had anything less expensive. I brought out more, but he turned those down as well! He said they were all more than he could afford. Hah! It was all a ruse! He just wanted to steal whatever he could!"
"Yet the only item you found missing was the ring, was it not?"
"I didn't give him the chance to walk off with anything else. I took most of the other pieces to the back, but I must have forgotten that one on the display table."
"Did you or anyone else see him take it?"
"Why would he if he'd known someone was watching him?" the shopkeeper returned dourly. "I can't prove he took it but I can prove it's gone. He was my only customer until well after I noticed it was missing!" She turned abruptly to the inside of her establishment. "You there, Cantabella girl! Put that urn down this minute! It is very old and costly and I will expect compensation if you damage it!"
Espella first tipped the vessel upside down to ensure that it contained nothing but dust, and only then did she return it to its position. "Don't worry. I won't break a thing," she assured her, giving that lady a moment of eye contact and then continuing her search.
Eve didn't even blink as she continued her interrogation. "You had no other customers…? Were there other people who passed by, someone who might have seen something?"
"Look at this road. It's full of people, is it not? Of course there were other people around, but they were hardly important!"
"Do you remember seeing anyone you recognized? Did anything else occur on this street?"
"I did not see and I don't care," Mrs. Gewler replied with a further puckering of her lips. "I think someone's horse ran off and that Barnham fellow ran off after it. He was just trying to get away from the scene of his cri—" Again she cut herself off. "Heavens! Take care with that cup! Do you know it once belonged to the queen?"
"Someone's horse, hm?" Eve murmured, more to herself than the irascible lady. However, she did not feel the woman would be forthcoming with any details on that matter and she made a mental note to ask others on the street about it. "Was there anyone else who stopped here, though not as a customer? Did anyone speak to Za…Barnham, or even stop to look at your wares on display?"
"I suppose there were some horrible children who wouldn't go away. Some girl peddling flowers stopped and said something to that knight. I don't trust either of them." She turned and sent another reprimand Espella-ward before she continued. "You know, I've heard the rumors about him. He goes to the seedy section of town and has been seen in that ne'er-do-well tavern. I heard there was something between him and that scandalous female who runs the place; she deals in stolen goods, so people say. You can never trust those redheads!"
This time Eve was unsuccessful in quite quelling the indignant sound that flew up her throat. "Ah-he-hm," she said, clearing her throat. "I'm afraid unsubstantiated rumors are best left out of this. Is there anything else you can remember about that time?"
The shopkeeper folded her arms again, glowering as if the two young women were keeping her from her nonexistent customers. "Wasn't that enough?! To top it off, that cleaning girl of mine broke one of my blue china plates and now the set is incomplete!" One of her eyes always seemed to be on her shop interior and she again called out, "Why must you lift everything, girl?! You make me terribly nervous every time you do!"
Espella set the latest item down with the utmost care. "I'm nearly finished, Mrs. Gewler," she replied.
"Hmph! You see what good all your searching has done for you?" the woman sneered. "You didn't find my ring either!"
The downward curve of Eve's lips deepened again as she curtly told the shopkeeper, "We'll be leaving now, Mrs. Gewler. When we find your ring, we'll let you know. For the time, please keep this to yourself."
That lady spluttered again while Eve withdrew a few paces from the shopfront and waited for her friend to catch up; she didn't believe Mrs. Gewler would pay much heed to her directive for any considerable length of time. She took a few deep breaths to better calm herself against the flood of irate thoughts which marched noisily through her mind like an inexperienced knight in full armor. Then she withdrew a small notebook from her pocket and scribbled a few notes.
As soon as Espella joined her and they were enough of a distance from Mrs. Gewler's shop, she muttered, "That vile woman! She would suspect the Queen of England herself had she been here!"
"I wish I could have found the ring. It would have made things so much simpler…"
Eve cracked a sardonic smile. "'Take care with that plate!' 'Good heavens, do be careful!' 'It belonged to the queen!' Truly, she was getting on my nerves!"
"Oh, I know!" Espella groaned, rolling her head and her eyes for good measure. "I was seized by the most enticing idea of doing exactly the opposite of what she said!"
"I almost wish you had. It would have brought me such satisfaction."
"I was very tempted," she replied, grinning.
Then Eve straightened her shoulders and raised her eyes. "Well, you certainly gave the place a thorough search. Thank you for that, Espella. Now 'tis a matter of figuring what really happened…and it'll be no easy matter with Zacharias involved."
They kept to that bit of town for the remainder of the morning, questioning the other shopkeepers and some of the residents who lived in the rooms above. A woman of much better disposition told them she had in fact seen Kira on the street the previous afternoon. Another female, this one with gray hair and wrinkles that curved every time she made any facial movement, grumbled about the fuss Mrs. Gewler made, claiming that all the commotion was keeping customers from her own establishment. A number of people remembered the incident with the horse; one such gentleman was a thick-voiced, middle-aged man who preferred to talk than to pay attention to the annoyed motions from his wife.
"Aye, that was a sight! Some fool leaves his horse just standing there up the street aways and don't bother to tie it up! Something spooked the creature and you can just imagine how it reared up and began tearing down the road. Everyone's diving out of the way, screaming, yelling, ruckusing and all that. Sir Barnham just tore after it and caught it just beyond our shop, right there," he said, and pointed to the exact spot. "It was something to see how he stopped its rearing; the creature knew who its master was!" The teller of the tale chuckled as he recalled, "And when he led the horse away, that little white pup of his trotted on the other side like they was both taking a thief to the jail!" He laughed with a great big chortle.
As soon as Espella heard the details of the pandemonium that had occurred, her hand flew to her mouth and her eyes widened. "Oh, I hope no one was hurt!"
While his wife scrunched her eyebrows and contorted her mouth as she stared at his back, the man seemed oblivious in his mirth. "Nah," replied he. "Don't worry your pretty little head about that, Miss Cantabella. They're all just fine except for a few scratches or bruises from jumping out of the way so fast. Just about everyone had something to say to that careless fool, I'll tell you!"
"I am relieved to hear that," the girl admitted, allowing her held breath to leave her. "How fortunate that Sir Barnham was here to stop the horse before it could trample a poor child or anyone else in its way!"
"Indeed, miss. The witches are gone, but it's always nice to know the knights still have the interests of the townspeople at heart. Everyone else on this street, including me, was trying to get out of the way and save our merchandise from being trampled. Who knows how much damage the beast could have caused by its rampage."
Eve was reminded of another incident concerning Barnham and a horse and she was glad that at least the knight had come out none the worse for wear in this one. That other time her father had been on hand to treat the redhead for his many bruises and contusions.
"Mrs. Gewler also mentioned there were some children playing in the area at about that time. Did you see them, Mr. Taylor?" she inquired
He scratched at his beard. "Ah, there are always children running about and no one much pays attention to them unless they swipe something or knock something over."
His wife, finally weary of trying to silently make him mind his work, drew nearer the conversation. "Why don't you just admit you don't remember them?" she asked him, her eyebrows still going up and down. She turned to the young women. "But I did, Miss Belduke. In fact, I saw one of them, a little girl, was crying. I was afraid she'd been hurt by the runaway horse and I asked her if she was all right, but she just ran away. Mayhap she was scared by the horse."
"Oh, the poor thing!" Espella cried, her expression softening.
Eve was scratching away in her notebook again. "Was anyone else around at the time? Anyone you might not see on a daily basis?"
Mrs. Taylor sent her husband a somewhat disparaging look, but he answered all the same, "Hmm… I don't remember seeing anyone else. What about you, Wendie?"
The woman gave a similar answer.
"We'd best be off then," said the former high inquisitor. "Thank you for your time and you'll please let us know immediately if anything else happens."
"Certainly, certainly," the gentleman said. "Good luck to the both of you."
"Were we helpful to your investigation somehow?" Mrs. Taylor asked.
"There's no way to tell how all the pieces fit together just yet. For the time we're trying to gather as many as possible," Eve replied. "I'm sure what you've told us will be invaluable."
However, before the young women had hardly stepped back from the shopfront they found themselves face to face with a tall, spindly character. He was attired in striking colors and the strings of a lute hummed beneath his fingers.
"Ah, good day to you ladies so fair, do you too come with clothes for repair?"
Espella smiled as she lifted her eyes to his face and then to his plumed hat. "Hello, Mr. Birdly. We were just here to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Taylor."
"Milady! Milady!" squawked Cracker.
Eve's gaze jerked from the bard to the parrot upon his shoulder, her eyebrows lowering and her lip twisting downward. In her current mood she would think little of turning the creature into stew had she the freedom to wring its neck.
"Please pardon what my partner does say; you see, together we viewed last night's play. With this word he came away, repeating, repeating it without delay."
He played the last chord with a flourish and then bowed before the young women, a performer's bright smile firmly imprinted on his face. As he did so, a bundle which he'd had over his elbow slid down his arm a bit; Espella noticed that from the loosely wrapped bundle she could see a brightly colored sleeve not unlike the one he wore.
The rhymes were hardly out of Birdly's mouth than his pet again screeched, "Milady!"
Glaring darkly at the bird, Eve was sure it purposely mocked her; as annoyed as she felt, she was still further irked that the stupid repetition bothered her so. Without altering the sharpness of her gaze, she in turn fixed her eyes upon the bard.
"Were you also on this street yesterday afternoon?"
"Alas, my lady, no, and very sorry I am to say so." He frowned exaggeratedly. "This is about the intrepid knight captain, is it not? The thieving culprit must be caught!"
The former high inquisitor set her teeth firmly together and mumbled, "Does everyone know of this mess?!"
Balancing his bundle, he plucked a few more chords. "How fast news travels, and many a secret thereby unravels."
Eve stepped around the man and without a further word began to walk up the street again. Espella gave the bard a quick farewell and then hastened after her friend.
"Everyone in such a hurry, everyone but Birdly is in a flurry."
"Milady!" Cracker crowed, his dark little eyes on the retreating females. "Milady! Milady!"
"Ugh, I loathe that obnoxious bird and its owner!" the dark-haired young woman fumed.
"Wait, Eve! Please…don't walk so fast!
Espella glimpsed the humor in the situation, but she kept any hint of amusement from her expression as she caught up to her friend. Eve slowed her pace and the blonde young lady glimpsed her aggravated expression. They could both feel perspiration tickling at their skin and Espella licked her drying lips for the fifth time in under a minute.
"Are you hungry?" she asked. "I really am. Why don't we go back to the bakery for something to eat?"
Sighing, Eve uncrossed her arms and looked at her companion. "I have a better idea. Come."
She led her to the end of the road, around a corner and across another wider street to a darling little café with tables and chairs situated in the shade of an awning. A bit of breeze teased the thick canvas overhead, the short, immaculate tablecloths, and the napkins which were folded into the shapes of various animals.
"Oh, I've always liked the look of this place…but I've never eaten here," Espella said, glancing around delightedly. A crinkle came to her brows. "Isn't it rather expensive?"
"Only if you dine here on a regular basis," Eve returned as she sat in one of the wrought iron chairs. The anger had not faded from her eyes completely, but she softened as she looked to her friend. "You are hungry, are you not, Espella?" She gestured to one of the other two empty chairs.
Her companion relinquished herself to one of the seats and closed her eyes as the breeze caressed her skin. "Ah, this is really nice. I am glad you brought us here…right now the bakery would be just as hot as the street."
Eve fanned herself with an unfolded napkin until the establishment's single waitress approached, bearing two glasses of cool spring water. The young women first quenched their thirst and then ordered salad, sandwiches and ice cream.
"This place is always full on tourist days," Espella mused as she took another sip of water. "I'm glad we came here on a calm day."
"Not everyone has money to burn in a place like this," her friend replied. "But tourists always seem to, which is beneficial for the town."
They watched people who walked the cobblestones in all sorts of directions and errands, a child who tried to coax a runaway pet from a large bush at the side of the road, and a knight rode slowly by on a horse. That armored man stopped when he saw the child and managed to extract a small bundle of claws and fur, which the child quickly claimed and hugged nearly to death.
Espella turned to her companion. "Why do you suppose Mr. Barnham didn't mention the incident with the horse yesterday?"
The other young woman played with the edges of her napkin as she gazed upon her friend. "I haven't begun to understand why he does so many of the things he does, including his reason for silence. He can be the most aggravatingly stubborn man! When we've figured out this whole ridiculous case I am really going to give him an economy-sized piece of my mind."
"Uhm…I'm sorry, Eve…but there's someone's staring at us."
Eve let the cloth fall from her fingers as she turned her head, following her friend's line of sight until she too spotted the stout man who weaved slightly as he squinted and leaned over the box of flowers between the tables and the street. She could not be sure if he was trying to appear like he wasn't looking at them or if he was using the foliage as a sick bucket.
"I feel like I've seen him around before," she said, facing Espella again.
"What was his name again?" the blonde girl mumbled, half to herself. "I have trouble remembering it because it's so unusual… He was a witness in a couple of the witch trials."
Having garnered their notice, the man lurched in their direction. "Hey there—urp!—Miss Cantabella. You remember me, don'tcha?"
"Oh, yes, I remember now. Mr. Emeer, wasn't it? We ran into you in the market about a week ago. Did you return those items to Kira and Miss Mary?"
He wobbled on one foot and clung loosely to an empty bottle. "Weelll…erm about that…y'see, I kinda got meself kicked out o' the pawnshop…"
Espella frowned.
Recognition alighted in Eve's eyes. "I know who you are. My father warned me about you," she said, fixing her sternest gaze directly on him. "He could never trust you alone in his study."
Emeer Punchenbaug gulped and teetered backwards a step. "You…you're… You must be…"
She ignored him. "And you are the same pilfering plunderer Zacharias Barnham complained about. You have no regard for the personal property of others. Tell me now; were you in this area yesterday afternoon?!"
"No! No!" he backpedaled. "I-I ain't been here, Miss…err, High Inquisitor! I don't even come here! I ain't done a thing!"
Even Espella's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Mr. Emeer, just what are you doing here?"
"Nothin'! Just seeing the sights, ya know!" he exclaimed, his face redder than Barnham's hair and his bloodshot eyes drifting away as he began to do the same.
"Out with it and I may spare you the dungeon. It at least is still quite serviceable!"
At that moment, the slightly intoxicated citizen spotted someone coming their way. With a yelp, he dropped his bottle and bolted away like a yellow-spotted lizard. Eve jumped to her feet and opened her mouth to shout, but he was already halfway down the street. Then she turned her attention to the figure who had galvanized the man to such action.
Espella both waved and beckoned with the same motion. "Jean! Over here!"
The slight girl faced them, a gentle smile breaking her lips. Treading the cobbles with light steps, she quickly came toward them. "Hello, Miss Cantabella, Miss Belduke," she said, speaking the latter name with the reverence she had for years attributed to her master.
"You really needn't be so formal," the blonde young woman insisted. Turning to her best friend, she said, "Does she, Eve?"
"No," replied she. Gesturing to the third chair, she added, "Won't you join us, Jean?"
"Yes, please do!" Espella chimed and she tugged at one of the girl's hands.
With all three of them settled, Jean smiled again. "It is very kind of you, Miss Belduke, Espella." Realizing her mistake, the corners of her mouth tilted slightly downward. "Oh, I'm sorry. I just find it very hard to address you without further measure of respect." What she did not mention, however, as she met Eve's gaze, was how much her turquoise eyes were like those of the late alchemist.
"If it makes you feel better you may continue whenever someone else is nearby. I don't believe it to be necessary when 'tis just us."
"I…I shall try."
"What brings you here, anyway, Jean?" Espella questioned. "Mr. Emeer left in a hurry when he saw you. Were you looking for him?"
"No, if I were to make a guess, I should think he came here to avoid me," the girl replied. "My being here had nothing to do with him. I was at the Great Archive to see Miss Mystere. She had some more books for me…and Dewey has been suffering from stomach pains."
Eve noticed the slight pause. "I trust you helped him, then."
Jean nodded. "Indeed. It is nothing serious. I gave him one of Master Belduke's concoctions. My skills are not as such that I can make these on my own yet and I must rely on his guidance time and time again."
She gripped at one arm with the other hand and lowered her eyes to the tablecloth as silence rose between them. Eve's eyes also drifted and seemed to see something far away; hidden by the table, she traced the old burn on her right hand. Espella gnawed at her lip as she fondled a bloom which had fallen from the arbor overhead, and then she reached a hand toward each friend.
Finally, the former high inquisitor brought her sights back to the girl whom her late father had loved like another daughter. "If he could see you now he would be proud. You are doing fine things for the town, Jean."
Some people found the young learning physician to be stiff and rather formal sometimes, but at that moment she was as soft as chocolate in the sun. Her eyes full, she whispered, "Thank you, Miss Belduke. You are…you are too kind…"
"I am really nothing of the sort."
Jean smiled in a manner that made Eve swallow quickly. That expression reminded her of a certain way her father had of looking at her, but she could never feel jealous of the girl who had spent those five years with him while his own daughter avoided him.
She crossed her arms and changed the subject. "Is that drunken fool causing you trouble? If he is I shall make him rue the day he came to this town!"
Young Miss Greyerl shook her head slowly. "He can be a nuisance, but nothing I cannot take care of, I assure you."
Espella and Eve shared a look. Though the latter was in a position to know it better, both were aware of the ironic retribution facing anyone who had been foolhardy enough to wrong either the late alchemist or his apprentice. No one with a guilty conscience could be quite sure about the medicine he received afterward.
The waitress came along with food for three, which was no surprise to the young women for they knew the stellar reputation of that particular establishment and the attentiveness of the staff. With a thank-you to the waitress, they began to eat. Jean took a couple bites of her sandwich and then plied Eve with calm blue eyes.
"What about you two? I've heard you're investigating the incident involving Sir Barnham and a missing ring. How are you faring in that endeavor?"
Espella dabbed at her mouth with her napkin. "We haven't found much information so far and it doesn't make much sense yet. But we'll keep talking to people and we'll find out!"
Swallowing the bite in her mouth, Eve added, "'Twould be much easier if Zacharias wasn't so obstinately stubborn. He has a case of closer lip than even Miss Primstone."
At that Jean laughed right out; her companions gazed upon her quizzically. Briefly covering her mouth with her hand, she said, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that to slip out."
"It's a funny thought though, isn't it?" Espella giggled. "I don't blame you."
The youngest member of the trio sobered quickly. "I can't pretend to know what he's thinking, but I am certain he would never take anything that does not belong to him. He takes his duties as a knight very seriously…but I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that."
Eve was tempted to roll her eyes but she pursed her lips slightly instead. "Ridiculously gallant are the words for him. He's protecting someone, I know, but I cannot imagine who."
"Is he?" Jean mused, her hand stilled while reaching for another bite. "He's a knight not easy to understand." Her eyes were unfocused as she seemed to be mightily pondering something. "You know…he came to me after my parents moved in with me in Master Belduke's house, some time after that final trial…"
Neither of the other two young women said a thing, but they leaned a little nearer to catch every one of the softly spoken words.
~O~
Jean and her mother knelt in the garden, pulling the weeds which seemed omnipresent in the late alchemist's garden. While her father was out working, the two females were catching up with each other and the chores simultaneously.
"Please leave these plants out of the pile, Mother," the girl said. "While they are weeds in the garden, I can use them to make a simple concoction which soothes the nerves."
Annette Greyerl laughed and then sighed. "Oh, Jean, be patient with me. I still have to get used to you being so grown up and knowledgeable!"
All the same, she put the designated plants in her basket and set it by the shady side of the house. The rest of the weeds they piled up in the far corner of the garden to decompose and be used again to mulch the soil. As the ladies purveyed their work, they did not yet notice a visitor who approached by the path from town. Only when they turned to the arbor to pluck the plump fruits dangling there, did they stop and look upon the knight, fully clad in his armor, as he came to a stop on the other side of the fence.
"It seems we have a visitor," Annette said, her lips breaking up in a smile. "Hello! I'm glad you've come, for I am ready for a rest."
He did not return her smile. "Good day, Mrs. Greyerl, Miss Greyerl."
"Sir Barnham," said Jean, nodding her head once.
The knight's expression immediately told her that he was not of pleased mind to be there, but he was obviously trying to keep it from showing. He placed a gauntleted hand on the top of one of the pointed fence posts. She couldn't help but wonder that he was stifling in his armor.
"Well, I suppose I'll just make myself scarce," Annette declared, removing her hat and running a hand over her brow.
Barnham's eyebrows lowered. "You should stay, Mrs. Greyerl. You may as well hear this too."
"Oh? Well, I suppose I shall then."
The lady placed the hat back over her head; just by looking at her it was obvious to anyone whence came her daughter's looks and hair. She turned partially and began to pick some of the luscious yellow fruits, but Jean forewent that for the moment, as the knight had come to tell her something of seemingly great import. She found herself only faintly curious about it and simply wished to get on with her tasks.
"Very well. What is it you wish to say to me then, Sir Barnham?" she asked, keeping her voice as even as ever.
He swallowed and dropped his hand. His expression nothing short of fierce, he attempted to temper his ire which was directed inward instead of at her. By one foot was Constantine, panting, lolling his tongue and wagging his tail as if he were impatient to be off. The dog lifted his head to his master and barked twice.
"I err…only wanted to tell you… Miss Greyerl, I am sorry for the rough way I treated you during that…trial. I should have known there was something else at play, but I clung blindly to what I had always believed was the truth."
Jean's features softened slightly as she used one hand to grip the other arm. "I do not think you were the only one," she said quietly. She raised her eyes to meet his storm-tossed gray ones. "If it is my forgiveness you wish, then you have it and gladly. Had our positions been reversed, I may well have chosen the same path. I do not believe in holding onto the past. Master Belduke always told me to learn from my mistakes but never to let them rule me." She lowered her head and bit one corner of her lip. "…I realize now he didn't want me to fall into the same trap as he had…"
A minute of silence passed between them. Jean could tell that her mother had ceased picking the fruit and that her attention was directed at them, and she was thankful that Annette said nothing. The girl again glanced up at Barnham and noticed that the intensity of his expression had lessened and was intermixed with surprise.
"…Words worthy of Sir Belduke's apprentice," he said, letting the words out at last.
"Thank you." She bowed. "Now if you will excuse me, I have work to do."
"Of course," he replied. He turned as if to go, but then faced her again, the scowl upon his lips again. "…If ever you need help, please call upon the knights. We will aid you in whatever you need. You have my word."
Jean nodded and thanked him. She reached into the basket which her mother was using and withdrew a piece of golden fruit. "Master Belduke was fond of these." Extending her hands, she proffered it to him. "Please take it and when you eat it know that I bear you no ill will."
Barnham hesitated a moment, but then, removing one gauntlet so as to avoid bruising the fruit, accepted it from her hand. Jean nodded to him once more and joined her mother in reaching up to the highest parts of the arbor.
~O~
Eve hadn't touched what remained of her lunch in over a minute. "I never knew that…" she murmured, half to herself.
"My mother and I were alone that day and we only told my father about it later, but I thought you'd like to know. Perhaps it will be a small piece to the puzzle that makes up a man."
"Hmph, yes, well…" the former high inquisitor mumbled as she reached for her sandwich again. "Espella, why are you so quiet?"
"Hmm? Oh…" She of the blonde braids started slightly and raised her eyes to meet those of her friend. "It's just that he made an apology to me as well."
Jean watched her but said nothing, her eyes alight with the quick thoughts which she presented to herself. Eve, on the other hand, assumed a fiercely concentrated expression and pressed her lips together. It seemed there were yet things she did not know about the man whom she continually thought she had figured out.
"Are you almost finished, Espella?
The blonde young woman nodded as she polished off her last bite. "I think I know where we're headed next, hmm, Eve?"
"Oh, you do, do you?" she returned, stilling immediately after rising from her seat and fixing the other young woman in her sights.
"Of course," Espella replied, smiling. "To market, to market, to find a flower girl."
The former high inquisitor did not make reply, but gave her friend a look and then turned to the youngest member of their little party. "I'm sorry that we need hurry off, Jean, but we must return to our investigation."
"I understand. I must also depart for my studies, but I do wish to thank you for the lunch today, Miss…uhm…Eve."
The former inquisitor smiled faintly at the familiar appellation. "That wasn't so hard, now was it?"
Eve and Espella bid the young aspiring physician a good day after they exchanged a promise to see each other again soon. While Jean returned to her home and an afternoon full of books and experimenting with plants, the other two made their way to the marketplace.
Do you have any idea yet what really happened to the ring? As the author, I can't really be sure how obvious or how obfuscated I've made this case thus far. Feel free to drop me a line in the box below and let me know your thoughts.
On a completely different note, over the last several months, a black cat has effectively adopted us and our place. This is actually fortuitous, as last year we had quite a rodent problem. She's endeared herself to us because she's very friendly and likes attention. She was hanging around so much that we started feeding her. I suppose she's just an ordinary cat, but we just think she's adorable. My sister and I have started calling her Eve.
To Be Continued...
10-29-2019 ~ Published