Level 5 and Capcom own this game. 'Tis perfectly obvious, is it not?
Eve's Magical Adventure
Chapter 8: The Case of the Suspect Substitute, Act IV
The shops had all been closed down for the night as Eve passed them by, but from the bakery's entrance there shone a wide expanse of golden-orange firelight. The front displays were empty, the baskets formerly there having all been gathered together and set to the side until morning. Though the day's labors was over, she could with each breath still detect the seemingly ever-present scent of those delectable baked goods. The knight on guard was seated on the steps at the side of the building; upon glimpsing the former high inquisitor, he jumped to his feet, but she paid him no mind. Before she had stepped through the entrance she saw Espella at the counter, almost up to her elbows in flour as she worked with a mound of dough. Nearby was a vase filled with the blooms they'd bought from Kira.
Looking up and seeing her friend, the blonde girl cried, "Oh Eve, there you are at last! I was afraid you had forgotten."
She left the counter and her dough, flew toward her friend, and grasped her hand. The former inquisitor smiled wearily, not caring about the flour.
"I'm sorry, Espella. I did not expect to be away that long."
"Well, it's all right now. We saved some dinner for you."
She gestured to the stove and drew her friend further inside. Then she returned to her kneading while Eve wasted no time in uncovering the earthenware plate with the food still warm upon it. One look, one sniff of the string beans, veal, gravy and baked potatoes was enough to remind her of just how many hours it had been since her last meal. Sitting to the side was not one, but two of the rolls she'd asked Espella to save for her. She took the plate and sat at the table facing her friend.
"Thank you," she said simply, her eyes speaking more than mere words. With that, she bit into one roll, its airy, light flavor melting in her mouth.
"You're welcome, Eve," the other young lady replied. She wore a smile as she watched her companion tuck into the meal. "Did you take care of everything?"
The former high inquisitor swallowed a tender bit of veal, responded affirmatively, and then asked. "Where are the others?"
"They went up to bed. I told them I wanted to wait for you and that I'd ready tomorrow's dough and bank the fire. They've been busy here while I've was out all day, so I thought it was only fair."
"I see," Eve mumbled, sticking her fork into the string beans. It was just as well that Barnham wasn't there. She was still quite perturbed with the man and she knew she'd probably fly into a tirade when next she saw him.
"Aunt Patty told me so many people came to the bakery today," Espella said as she bustled about, setting the place to rights for the night. "Mr. Barnham had insist quite forcefully that they leave, except for those who were buying bread. And it got so bad that the knight outside had to keep them away from the entrance so our customers could get through."
Eve could just imagine her redheaded coworker barking at the unfortunate man who was supposed to be guarding him, "Don't just stand there, you slack wit! Keep these people back!" In her mind's eye she could see Barnham slapping his frustration out on the dough he mangled, as the whispers of gossip reached him from the street. 'Tis partly your doing. You could have told me the truth and it wouldn't have come to this! she thought, scolding the knight in her head.
When the dark-haired young woman was finished eating, Espella blew out the rest of the lights save the one that they took to illuminate their way up the stairs. Up the creaking steps they went, with the blonde young lady also carrying her vase of flowers. Once in the girl's room, Eve sat on the bed, stretched and yawned deeply, her feet resting on the floor.
"You don't mind if I stay here for the night, Espella?"
"No, of course not. I want you to," she replied, setting her flowers on the bookshelf.
"Good," the former high inquisitor said with another great yawn. "I couldn't go back to my house now. I'd probably fall asleep on the way." She stared at her feet, knowing she needed to remove her shoes but not wanting to expend the effort it involved.
"You know you're always welcome here, Eve," the girl said, following her friend's example by yawning copiously.
She stood on one of the chairs and then the table, and used a long stick to push the upper window open; after that she also opened the lower one as far as it would go. She usually performed that little task when evening gave way to night, but this time she had forgotten and as a result the room was still warm and a bit stuffy. The cool night air caressed her face, carrying on it the subdued sounds of night and the city. She gazed out at the rooftops and the sky pricked with so many stars. As usual, she could just barely make out the silhouette of the cloud-piercing tower in which she had once lived.
Shaking herself from her drifting thoughts, she sighed, and lowered her eyes. She picked up the water pitcher, preparing to pour some of its contents into the basin so she could wash her face. However, she noticed it was a bit lopsided and slightly heavier than she remember after completing her morning ablutions, so she tilted the ceramic container toward her to take a peek. A second later a little shriek fell from her lips just as the pitcher did to the floor.
Eve's heavily lidded eyes flew open again and settled on her friend. "What is it?!"
The other young lady shook as she pressed both hands to her chest. "I-I don't know… I-it was something in the pitcher… I was so startled I dropped it."
"What was it?" she asked again, looking toward the rug at Espella's feet where she could just make out the jagged pieces of white ceramic.
The girl with the blonde braids took a candle in her trembling hand and lowered it slowly. "Aaah! It's headed toward you, Eve!"
Snatching her feet up from the floor as if they'd been touched by a live coal, the former inquisitor drew her legs onto the bed. She bit back a startled cry of her own. "Was it a mouse? Oh, where's that cat of yours when we need her?!"
"I-I don't know what it was…but I don't think it moved like a mouse," Espella replied.
She crept forward cautiously, holding the candle before her and minutely examining the floor ahead of her before she moved again. Eve also looked over the side of the bed, but she saw no movement. She refused to set her feet back on the floor unless she knew that something small, dark and disgusting was not going to creep over them.
"Whatever it is, I think it went under the bed," the younger girl said with a little shudder when she had reached the side of that piece of furniture.
"Well, I'm not crawling under there to get it out," Eve declared, warily eying her friend.
Espella made a face. "Me neither." She set the candle on the floorboards and though she peered into the darkness that was under her bed, she could make nothing out. "I won't sleep a wink tonight knowing it's down there."
"How, pray tell, are we to get to it?" the dark-haired young woman questioned, with a little involuntary shiver.
"Hmm… How indeed… If only there was someone… Ah, I know!" Espella cried and jumped to her feet. "You stay here, Eve. I'll be right back!"
She made a wide berth around the bed and darted out of her room. In the passageway, a shaft of moonlight through the high window was more than enough to guide her to the door at the far end of the hall. Looking down at the crack between floor and door, she could see the faintly flickering light from a candle. Then she lifted her hand and rapped at the wood.
"Enter," came the slightly breathless voice from within.
Barnham's room much like hers, with a high window near the ceiling and a lower one below, but while hers had a view out the back, his looked down upon the street. The similarities ended there, however, as his personal space was sparsely furnished and without any of the homey little odds and ends that she owned. His bed was covered with a wrinkled, grungy green spread; at the foot of same was an old, weighty-looking oaken chest from which unfolded garments spilled. His armor, cloak and sword hung in one corner. The only other furniture the room could boast was a small, wobbly-looking table, upon which rested a hodge-podge of disorganized papers, a thick book and a dumbbell; the mate of this last item lay on the floor below. There wasn't even a rug to cover the cracks between the floorboards.
Constantine lay on the bed with his paws hanging over the edge; his head bobbed up as the girl entered. The knight himself was on the floor, clothed only in his trousers as he did push-ups with such intense vigor that could only be fueled by some inner turmoil. Espella looked at him and then shifted her eyes, gazing instead at the table and the items on its surface. She would have been even more embarrassed at coming in as she did, if she wasn't already quite flustered.
Barnham scrambled to his knees, grabbed his discarded shirt and put it on in such haste that one button went careening off into a dark corner. His pup hopped from the bed, said, "Ruff!" and immediately began to sniff out and subdue that spinning, rolling button.
"M-Miss Cantabella…i-is something amiss?" he asked, rising to his feet.
"Uhm…" she stammered, suddenly realizing how foolish, how childish her problem sounded. "I'm sorry to bother you…but there's something under my bed and we don't know what it is… I was wondering if you'd come help us…?"
His red eyebrows rose considerably, his mouth going slack before he spoke. To be interrupted in the midst of his nightly exercises was one thing, but because of a little monster under the bed?! Why, 'twas far beyond the expected realm of happenings! The humor of the situation was not lost on him, but he knew it would be a churlish knight indeed to make fun of a lady's plight, no matter how slight.
"Err… Very well."
"Oh, thank you," Espella said, letting out a long breath.
He followed her back up the hall and into her room; Constantine abandoned his battle for the button and trotted after them. Eve was on her knees, crouched next to but not too near the bed, as she tried to see beneath it. There were two candles on the floor next to her, for she was sure whatever little beast lurked beyond her reach did not like the light. Her head snapped up and then she frowned a bit as she locked eyes with the redhead.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded, her face heating with embarrassment.
"I came merely to help," he replied and moved forward. "If you will pardon me, Miss Eve…"
She rose and went to stand next to her friend, hoping desperately that the mouse or whatever it was, would not run over her feet, and that she wouldn't be inclined to scream. As the girls watched, Barnham strode to the head of the bed and shoved it away from the wall with one great heave. In the moment that the knight peered down at the floor, Constantine growled at his new adversary, and then Barnham reached down and picked something up. Turning to the two young ladies, he held the terrifying offender out for them to see.
Espella's blue eyes widened. "Why it's…"
"…'Tis nothing but a toad," Eve finished for her, her cheeks aflame. "A common garden toad."
"Indeed," he said, keeping his mouth in a rigid line.
Able to breathe easier again, the blonde girl put a hand to her mouth. "I can't imagine how it got into my water pitcher. Uhm…you won't hurt it, will you Sir Barnham?"
"I shall set it free outside," he assured her. "Good night, Miss Eve, Miss Cantabella."
He pushed the bed back to its original position and headed out the doorway. Due to the dimness of the room and the shadows on his face, the young women had a difficult time in discerning whether he was annoyed or embarrassed, or if he was just trying to keep his amusement from showing. A mortified Eve stared at the back of his head as he went; his hair was like a red cape to a bull.
She marched forward and grabbed at his elbow, causing him to turn around again. "You…! You…!" she spluttered.
Maddeningly, he just stood there, looking back at her and blinking a couple of times.
Her body ached with exhaustion and she knew she would have to wait until the morrow to have the words with him that she wanted. She couldn't let her ire go completely without vent and again she gazed up at his unruly hair.
"Why didn't you tell me you had a sister?!" she demanded.
A couple of heartbeats passed in which he considered her face, half of it in shadow. "You never asked me, Miss Eve."
He viewed her for a moment more before he turned and lost himself to the darkness of the building. She stared after him, then spun on her heel and all but slammed the door behind her. Putting a hand to her forehead and closing her eyes, she suddenly wanted naught but surrender to peaceful, oblivious slumber.
"I'm sorry, Eve…" her friend said.
"'Twasn't your fault. Let's just go to bed now."
Some fifteen minutes later, Espella was still lying wide awake as she gazed up at the stars through her upper window. She turned on her side and looked at her friend, bathed in the light of a three-quarter moon, and whose breath came evenly, her lashes resting upon her cheeks.
"Eve? Are you asleep?"
"Mhmm…"
"I was thinking…" the blonde girl whispered again. She bit at her lip as she paused, wondering whether or not she should mention the matter that weighed on her mind. "…When I went to Mr. Barnham's room, I saw something on his table. I don't think the candlelight was playing tricks with my eyes… I only had a quick look at it, but I'm sure I saw a ring sitting there. It sort of sparkled in the light. What do you suppose that means? I've been thinking about it and I can't figure it out. I know Sir Barnham, and I know he wouldn't have come by it dishonestly, but why does he keep a ring he never wears? And what if someone says he stole it? I'm a little worried, Eve. Am I being nosy, and should I just keep quiet?"
Her friend made no reply; only a soft sound issued from her slightly parted lips. Espella sighed and looked up at the winking stars again until she too finally succumbed to the pull of sleep.
The following morning, the former high inquisitor awoke at about the same time that the first batch of bread went into the oven. She raised her head and sniffed, catching the faint, warm scent that seemed to permeate the whole building. She turned over, noticing that Espella was still sleeping, lying on her side and with her arms before her, elbows bent. Eve slid carefully from beneath the bedclothes and then pulled the sheet over her friend. She dressed quickly, took her shoes in hand and then descended the stairs with all the quiet grace of a feline.
"Good morning, dear," Patty greeted her warmly, glancing up from the dough that gave way under her rolling pin.
The young woman couldn't help but return the cheery smile with a small one of her own. "Good morning, Mrs. Eclaire. Mmm… Your bread already smells delicious."
"Thank you, child," that lady replied, a happy glow to her cheeks. Few things made her quite so happy as someone who appreciated her goods. "I'm afraid I haven't a fresh batch ready to offer you yet, but you may take anything you like from the pantry."
Eve accepted her kind offer and soon emerged with a couple slices of day-old bread smeared generously with both butter and jam. She'd always wanted to have both on her toast ever since she was little, but her mother had usually discouraged that practice; now, however, she sometimes liked to indulge herself a bit.
With all the dexterity her years of experience afforded her, the baker shaped several long loaves and brushed them with a mixture of egg and honey, ready for the oven. She didn't even pause in her self-assured motions as she briefly looked up at Eve. "I do believe I heard a bit of commotion upstairs last night. What happened?"
The young woman paused, a bite of bread almost to her lips. She put it in her mouth, chewed it without delighting in tasting the butter and jam anymore, and then swallowed. "'Twas nothing. Espella found a toad in her water pitcher. It startled both of us, that's all."
"I heard Zacharias' voice as well. I was nearly asleep, but I don't think I was dreaming yet."
Unable to keep the heat of a blush from rising to her cheeks, the former high inquisitor rubbed her fingers absently on the edge of the counter. "…The toad hopped under the bed. Zacharias—" She frowned as she gave breath to the name. "—Barnham came, at Espella's request, and removed it for us."
"Ah, so that's what it was," Patty said with a decisive nod. Her brows and the creases around her mouth relaxed. "I suppose I would be surprised too if I'd found a toad in my pitcher. But how in the world did it get in there?"
"If I knew, I'd find the culprit and put the toad down his shirt…or make him eat it."
"…Come to think of it, perhaps it was those boys of the cooper's. They were hanging around outside and the guard had to chase them away twice. They're known for pulling pranks, you know."
While Eve scowled and got a little redder, Patty chuckled to herself as she scooped the last of the flour from the burlap bag at her elbow. She headed toward the pantry, but seeing Barnham come down the stairs, instead charged him with bringing in another sack of flour. He brought it over to the counter, setting it down with a gentle thump, for he had learned the hard way not to be too rough with the bags. What a mess that had been!
Patty put her hands on her hips as she seemed to be deep in thought. "Ah, that is what we're missing! We're out of milk."
Barnham opened his mouth, as if he was going to volunteer to go in her place, but before he could give the words voice he snapped his lips together.
"I'll just go over to Mary's farm and fetch some. She should be about done with the milking by the time I get there," she continued, talking more to herself than the others. Then she fixed her eyes on her apprentice baker. "I won't be gone long, Zacharias, but you check the bread in ten minutes and when it is done, put in that next batch. Take care you don't let them burn now!"
He affirmed that he would keep both eyes on the bread, and the mistress of the bakery hastened outside, the handle of a wooden pail clenched in her right hand. Left to themselves, the two former inquisitors stood there, a weighty silence stretching out the air between them. Finally the redhead came to his senses and went to work preparing more dough. Eve took another bite of her bread and watched him. She decided that she wasn't going to give him the tongue lashing he deserved after all; instead, she would leave him to stew in the murky waters, only being able to guess at how furious she was with him. There was just one thing she couldn't leave unsaid and still feel like she had the upper hand.
"You don't really know what happened, do you Barnham," she said, purposefully using that less-familiar term of address. It was not a question.
His head snapped up from the flour he was measuring, almost spilling it on the floor. "W-what?"
"You have no idea who took the ring."
The dough slapped the counter with a dull thump! He gazed back at her, everything else forgotten as he tried to come up with something, anything to say. "…What if I told I do know?"
She pointed her finger at him in her old inquisitor fashion. "Bluffing doesn't become you, Zacharias. Whatever you've formed in that head of yours, you haven't an inkling of the truth."
"The truth…? What might that be?" he questioned, his eyes turning fierce and his frown deepening.
The edges of her mouth curved. "You'll find that out along with everyone else. Be at the old courthouse at nine; don't keep me waiting." With that, she strode toward the bakery's entrance, but then stopped and turned partway back to him. "You'd best rescue your burning bread."
One corner of her mouth curved in a wry, sardonic sort of smile, which faded as her steps took her further from the bakery. She had a long mental list of things she needed to do before the appointed time, almost three hours away. She purchased something else to eat for her breakfast from a vendor who was already setting up his goods in the northern section of town. She stopped briefly at Mrs. Gewler's shop, which was not yet open for business, and then she made all haste toward the courthouse. There she kept busy, hurrying back and forth, ordering about the knights and few other townspeople who were on hand, showing them how she wanted the stage set up, and sending the knights out to fetch witnesses and other interested parties.
After a while, Espella arrived, to Eve's relief. The elder of the two asked her friend to go on a particular mission. "It wouldn't do to send one of the knights clanking over there," she explained hurriedly. "It would scare her half to death."
The blonde young lady agreed readily and was scurrying back on the same path whence she'd come. A few minutes later she was in a nice little home explaining her errand to a certain mother. That lady nodded after a moment and turned to her little daughter.
"Miss Cantabella wants you to go to the old court. Can you do that, dear?"
"Do I have to?" the child whimpered.
She trembled a bit, her eyes wide with fear and uncertainty; she put her knuckle in her mouth as she glanced up at the Storyteller's daughter. Espella knelt down at her level, giving her a warm smile.
"Phoebe, I promise you have nothing to be afraid of. You haven't done anything wrong. Eve and I need you to be there, that's all. You're like a witness." She paused and gently grasped the girl's fingers. "And if you feel a little scared you can just hold my hand like this, all right?" She squeezed the small digits and tried to look into the downturned face.
Phoebe gave a last chew on her knuckle and lowered it. "…O-okay."
"Do you want your mum to come with you?"
The child gnawed at her lip for a moment. She tried to make stern, resolute sort of face, but it was more apprehensive than anything else. "…No. I-I want to do it by myself."
"That's my brave girl!" her mother said, and stooped down to kiss her.
She scrubbed Phoebe's face clean from the remnants of her breakfast and bade her to be a good girl and do as Espella told her. The little girl waved goodbye to her mother with a little quiver and she clung to the hand of her blonde companion as they walked over the cobbled streets. However, Espella regaled her with a silly little story about a man who ate nothing but pumpkins, and Phoebe was giggling by the time they reached the old court building.
At a quarter till the hour, citizens began meandering to the theater, first like a late summer stream, and then like a spring river of fresh snow melt. They filled the building, much as they had two nights previous. Barnham, Espella and most of the people she required were present and waiting upon the stage, but the knights had not yet returned with two of their quarries. Eve pulled out her watch and frowned at the minute hand reaching past the first marking. The audience was abuzz with impatience and wondering; she knew she had to do something very soon.
Remembering Miss Primstone's play, she suddenly began to feel anxious about the whole thing. Fortunately, she had at her side her blonde friend, who squeezed her hand and offered her an encouraging smile. Eve took a long breath and tried only to think of herself as the high inquisitor again.
Then she glimpsed the delinquent knights enter with Mrs. Gewler and a certain drunk, and she breathed a short sigh of relief. They forced Emeer into a seat in the back where he could hardly be seen; behind him was a knight who was to prevent him from running off at the mouth, or from the theater. The witnesses and such were seated on both sides of the stage, with Barnham a bit further back, near where she stood facing the audience with Espella. At stage front was a table which had been moved from one of the dressing rooms.
Boistrum was amongst those who had volunteered to help with the proceedings; at Eve's signal, he put two large fingers in his mouth and whistled long and shrilly until everyone had closed their mouths and some had covered their ears. The former high inquisitor stepped forward, stretching out first one arm and then the other. At least this was more suited to her talents than the play had been!
"Citizens of Labyrinthia, you have all come to see the conclusion to an incident that occurred in our town. Some of you may think Sir Barnham is guilty of the theft. Some of you might think the criminal is another. Here you will see that the truth is not what you'd expect, and is certainly not to be found by listening to wagging tongues!"
A murmur riffled up from the crowd, only to be silenced quickly when Eve thrust out her arm and moved forward by a couple more steps.
"Now! Hear the facts as they happened and there will be no doubt!" She held up a piece of paper containing notes she had scribbled down earlier, glancing briefly at it. "According to Mrs. Gewler and other store owners on the same street, Sir Barnham was at her shop two days ago. Is that not so?" she questioned, turning to her assembled witnesses.
The aforementioned lady and some of the others stood, and each gave their word as to the validity of that statement.
"But he did not purchase anything from you?"
Mrs. Gewler began to get red in the face. "Well, no, he didn't. He already had in mind to steal it!"
The former high inquisitor cut her off with a glare capable of making grown men wilt. "Do you claim that you witnessed him perform this act?"
"N-no, but—"
"Mrs. Gewler…" said Espella, stepping forward so that she was abreast of her friend. "…All that matters here is the truth. Can you say that Sir Barnham took your ring as the complete and absolute truth?"
The lady in question resumed her seat in silence, her lips twisted together in a terrible scowl and her face almost plum-colored. Some of the people in the audience muttered to their neighbors, some tittering lightly. Eve paid this no mind, as she would the chattering of reckless squirrels.
"While he was at this shop, Sir Barnham also met and spoke to the flower seller, Miss Kira." She made a motion to the girl in question. "What did you say to each other?"
With her eyeglasses perched on her nose, Kira frowned a bit as she rose from her seat. She flashed a look at the redheaded knight and then set her eyes on the former high inquisitor. "He asked me how my flowers were selling and I told him it was none of his business."
Chuckles and giggles floated up from the assembled townspeople.
"What else?"
"That hasn't anything to do with this!" the flower vendor protested, fiddling nervously with the handle of her basket.
"If you've nothing to hide, then tell us," Eve pressed her further.
Kira began twisting one of her flower stems around her fingers. "It's embarrassing," she muttered under her breath. But with so many eyes upon her, she could not back down without putting herself in a suspicious light. "…He asked me how my parents fared. And I said I didn't want to talk about it."
Foregoing any mention of Kira's brusqueness, the dark-haired young woman remembered her word from the day before and did not press her any further on the subject of her parents. Instead she queried, "And did you see him take anything from the shop while you were speaking to him?"
"No."
"Thank you." Eve turned her attention front and center again. "As of yet, there is no one to corroborate this accusation against Barnham. All that we've heard is speculation and rumor."
Espella interjected, her tone sad and pleading, "The witch trials are no more, yet here we are trying to say he is guilty without proof! I ask you…what have we really learned in all this time?"
She had to stop and catch her breath. Eve's heart went out to her friend, knowing how passionate she was about such matters. Meanwhile, murmurs and exclamations of surprise came from the people.
The former high inquisitor continued, "A certain man, who shall not go without remonstration, left his horse unattended; it spooked and bolted up the street past Mrs. Gewler's shop. Barnham rushed out to stop it." She paused long enough for her gathered witnesses to confirm that fact. "Miss Kira, before this happened, had he moved toward the merchandise after you spoke to him?"
Her eyebrows scrunching as she considered the question, the flower vendor took a moment before she replied. "No, I'm sure of it. He was still in the same spot. He started to say something else but was interrupted by the commotion. The horse came so close on that side of the street that I had to jump out of the way."
"So as far as you can tell, Barnham had no opportunity to take anything?"
"No, I guess not. I'm pretty sure he was too far from the stuff."
"This alone is testimony enough to cast serious doubt on his guilt," Eve declared, sweeping her eyes around again. "But that is not enough now, after the accusations and ridiculous rumors. The only thing to do is clear Barnham for once and for all with the truth of what really happened!"
She finished vehemently, causing the crowd to murmur amongst themselves. Espella glanced briefly at her friend, so glad that she nearly cried for the sentiment behind those compelling words. By the time the people went home, she wanted no doubt or suspicion clouding their eyes when they looked upon the redheaded knight.
"Miss Kira, when the horse bolted, who else was in the shop?" the blonde young woman questioned.
"Um, I guess the jeweler lady was still there. And me, of course…but I didn't take anything either! I was only saving myself from being run over!"
"No one is accusing you," the former high inquisitor reminded her. "Wasn't someone else there too?"
Kira tilted her head. "No, I don't think so…"
"Are you sure?"
Kira's brow scrunched and she frowned as she turned the question over in her mind. "Wait, I remember now! I almost tripped over a little girl who was also trying to get out of the way."
"What little girl?"
"Well, uhm… It was her," the flower seller said, pointing at Phoebe.
The child's lip trembled as she felt dozens upon dozens of eyes all fixating on her. She slid from her seat and ran to Espella's side, clutching at the young lady's hand.
"It's all right," Espella murmured consolingly as she crouched and returned the squeeze.
Eve also lowered herself to the level of the anxious, wide-eyed girl and tried to give her a reassuring smile. She relaxed the serious angle of her eyebrows and spoke in a gentler tone. "Can you tell us what happened, Phoebe? You needn't be afraid."
The blonde young lady giving her a nod and another press of the fingers, Phoebe gulped and looked uncertainly at the former high inquisitor. "Me and my friends played with my ball… Tommy kicked it too hard like he always does. I ran after it and the horse scared me."
"You weren't hurt?"
The girl gave a quick shake of her head.
"That's fine," the dark-haired young woman said, smiling again at the child. "So when the horse bolted, you ran into Mrs. Gewler's shop, did you not? Did you have your ball with you?"
Phoebe nodded. "I bumped into Miss…um… Miss Flowers," she said, faltering when she could not remember the right name. She gestured to Kira, who had resumed her seat.
"Good. You're doing fine. Now, this is very important, so think carefully before you answer. Did you bump into anything, or knock something over?"
The girl lowered her head and chewed at her knuckles as her young mind worked. "M-my ball… it bounced and…and h-hit the table… Th-the lady was mad."
Rising, Eve turned her attention to the shopkeeper, her brows lowering over her eyes. "Mrs. Gewler, you failed to mention this yesterday. Why?"
"I didn't think it was important," replied the woman, her face lifted haughtily. Her mouth was twisted in a dark, ugly scowl.
"Well, tell me now. What happened?"
"She scattered everything I had on display on the table, that's what happened! I was picking everything up when I realized the ring was gone."
"And did it occur to you that it could merely have still been in your shop?"
Mrs. Gewler seemed to shake with rage. "Of course it did! Why do you think I searched through the place several times over! It wasn't there, it wasn't in the street. That's how I knew it was stolen! And you know Miss Cantabella looked for it too. Did you find anything?! Where is it if he didn't steal it?!"
The former high inquisitor did nothing more than slightly raise one eyebrow at the outburst. "'Tis the reason we are gathered here, Mrs. Gewler," she said evenly. Then she knelt to the little girl's eyelevel again. "Phoebe, you didn't take one of Mrs. Gewler's rings, did you?"
"No, Miss Belduke!" the child replied emphatically, clasping Espella's hand tighter.
Eve smiled and patted Phoebe's hand. "'Tis as I thought."
"Of course she didn't take it!" the irate shopkeeper screeched. "I wouldn't let the little urchin near them for fear she'd smash something else!"
"Tell me, Phoebe… Did you get your ball back?"
The child's eyes watered and she bit her lip. "N-No… Miss Belduke, she w-wouldn't give it to me!" She pointed to the shopkeeper, her gaze indignant even through her tears.
"Of course I wouldn't give it back to her. I wasn't about to have her bouncing that thing around in my shop!"
"What did you do with the ball?" the former high inquisitor questioned, rising and facing Mrs. Gewler squarely.
"That dirty thing? What does it matter?"
"Where is it, Mrs. Gewler?"
A voice cried from the audience, "I know, Miss Belduke! I know where it is!"
The gathered townspeople had been increasingly quiet until this point, most of them leaning forward and trying to catch every word. Everyone turned to the one who had spoken, a sandy-haired girl named Mora. Eve bade her come forward and she mounted the steps at one side of the stage.
"When I came in to clean, Mrs. Gewler told me to throw the ball away. I put it with the rest of the trash in the alley," Mora explained. She wrinkled her nose in the shopkeeper's direction.
Eve beckoned to two of the knights she'd stationed nearby. She commanded them to go to the shop in question, to search in the alley for Phoebe's ball and to return with all speed. They were gone for several minutes, time during which the uptight shopkeeper had some words with her cleaning girl and Eve intervened. She thanked Mora for her help and requested in no uncertain terms that she resume her seat.
"Milady! Milady!" squawked a voice, the abruptness of which startled many people from their mutterings. All eyes flew to the origin of the speaker, seeing that it was no man but a bird upon a bard's shoulder. "Milady!"
Birdly shushed his pet, apologizing in rhyme to those around him for the jump scare they'd had. Espella glanced at her friend, who was more than a little pink in the cheeks. On the stage before all, the former high inquisitor put her hand over her face, thoroughly mortified.
A few more minutes elapsed in which the audience's mumblings grew louder as their impatient anticipation heightened, Espella quietly assured the little girl again that she bore no blame, and Eve stiffened as sudden, doubting thoughts batted themselves mercilessly through her mind. What if she was wrong? She'd put all the oddly shaped pieces of the case together and her solution was the only thing that made sense, but what if she'd made an error somewhere? After all, she was so determined to resolve the case that she perhaps, in all her haste she'd skipped over any slight inconsistencies. It was too late to do anything but wait, however. Though she stood still and straight, inside she felt like the last leaf quivering on a branch against a freezing winter gale.
At last, after a wait elongated by boredom and anxiety, the two knights returned, one of whom held in his gauntleted hand the sought-after toy. The former high inquisitor was about to call out to them, but she pursed her lips and waited until they had climbed the stage. Only then did she bid them place the ball on the table. Everyone leaned forward, wanting to get a better look at the item.
"Mrs. Gewler, will you please examine this ball," Eve said. She considered performing that function herself, but decided against it. If she never touched the item, then it could not be said that she planted anything there to protect Barnham. That is…if there is anything to find, she thought, swallowing thickly.
"You want me to touch that filthy thing? I will not!" declared the purple-faced shopkeeper.
The eyes of the dark-haired young woman flashed. "Very well," she said. She advanced toward the table as her mind whirled with figuring another option.
"Why don't we let Phoebe do it?" Espella suggested, for she had guessed at her friend's reason for wanting to delegate the task. She too came forward, the little girl's hand still enveloped by hers. "After all, it is her ball."
Eve spared a grateful look to her friend. She told one of the knights still standing there to fetch another chair; when it was in place before the table, Phoebe climbed onto it and took her toy in her hands. She smiled faintly to herself as she turned it over and over, each bit of fabric familiar to her, a reminder of the love and care her mother had put into the making of it. The air in the theater was so still that the skittering of a mouse could have been heard as the townspeople collectively held their breath, knowing that something significant was about to happen.
"…Miss Cantabella, Miss Belduke!" the little girl cried. "Something's in here!"
The two young women leaned closer, hardly blinking as they watched the small fingers digging between the tightly bound strips of fabric. She struggled with it for a whole minute before finally it fell to the table with a slight metallic sound. Eve and Espella each put a hand on the child's shoulders.
"You found the ring!" the blonde young lady exclaimed.
"Pick it up, Phoebe," the former high inquisitor told her. Her voice carried easily, the air hushed but filled with a tenseness ready to erupt. "Hold it up so everyone can see!"
This the child did, lifting the ring so that the light caught the stone in the setting and refracted it in myriad directions. The eyes of everyone present were drawn to the sparkling object like flies to a honeypot. A gasp went up from the audience.
"So it really wasn't stolen after all." someone said.
"Sir Barnham was innocent the whole time!"
"I can't believe I thought anything of that absurd gossip!"
"Our Miss Belduke sure is smart, figuring that out like she did!"
"I thought it was that drunk guy…"
Eve held out her arm. "Enough!" she commanded, and under her stare the people quieted, though there was still an undertow of whispers and mumblings. She extended her palm and Phoebe immediately relinquished the jewelry piece. "Only one thing remains… Mrs. Gewler, come and identify your property."
That lady stalked forward, her livid features darker than Rouge's best wine. She peered at the pretty little item, and then tried to snatch it from the former high inquisitor. Eve, however, was too quick for her, closing her fist and drawing it back.
"'Tis your ring?" she questioned, without malice or a hint of gloating. "'Tis the ring missing from your shop?"
Mrs. Gewler ground her teeth. Through them she spat, "Yes! Give it to me!"
The dark-haired young woman placed it on the table. "Take it, Mrs. Gewler… And I trust you will take care before making another accusation in the future."
The shopkeeper seized her merchandise and promptly stormed from the building, followed by hisses, boos and derisive laughter from the audience. After her departure, the people turned and once more looked upon the stage. Applause swept outward and upward, though it was incomplete because some citizens were too ashamed to join in.
"Now you know the truth," Eve said. She dropped her hand by her side and curled her fingers to keep them from trembling. "Thank you all for coming."
With those words, she retreated backstage where she could finally let out the shaky, gasping breath that she held onto for long minutes. Espella joined her, circling her arms around her friend and assuring her of the marvelous job she'd done. Then she felt a small hand slip into hers; glancing down, she saw Phoebe gazing wonderingly up at her.
"How'd you know, Miss Belduke?"
Eve's lip quirked. "You like puzzles, don't you? Well, 'twas like a puzzle," she replied candidly, and then lowered her voice to a whisper only for her friend and the little girl to hear. "Though I'll tell you a little secret…I was a bit nervous I'd missed something."
Phoebe's eyes were bright with keen admiration, her mind so filled with awe that she could barely contain herself. She'd grown quite fond of Espella after just a short time, and now she thought the other young woman was just as nice, though in a different way. The little girl's mother, who had come to view the proceedings after all, came backstage to find her daughter and return home with her; Phoebe hopped blithely at her mother's side, exulting about everything that had happened.
The other townspeople also returned to homes and jobs, each with a clear impression of the words spoken by the former high inquisitor. A hiccupping Emeer, still decked out with all the cheap jewelry and shining bobbles, tried to sneak off. Eve caught him with her quick eye and ordered two knights to lay hold of him.
"Bring him to my office. There's a bit of unfinished business and he's in the middle of it," she said, darkly eyeing the stumbling man. "Kira, you will come as well."
The others headed off at her direction, with Espella and Eve bringing up the rear. However, the dark-haired young woman noticed Barnham standing off to the side, his hands jammed into his trouser pockets and his eyebrows lowered. He'd said nary a word during the whole of the unofficial hearing and she had been so one-minded in her mission that she'd not spared a look toward him. His pup had earlier panted and wriggled around under the knight's chair and now the dog ran over and stood by his master's ankle, tongue lolling and tail wagging.
"Of course you are free to go, Zacharias," she told him rather needlessly, wondering why he hadn't yet left.
He raised his eyes to meet hers. "Miss Eve…" he said, but was unable to go on.
"I don't have time for this," she declared, frowning at his hesitancy. Why could he not simply say whatever was on his mind? Infuriating man!
She turned abruptly and marched up the stairs to their shared workspace. The others were already there, gathered in front of her desk, and Espella had taken her spot next to the stiff-backed chair.
The former high inquisitor withdrew a small item from her pocket, pressing it toward the flower girl. "This belongs to you, Kira. I bought it back from Mr. Price, thinking I would need Mrs. Gewler to confirm that it was not hers. As it happened, 'twas not necessary after all."
The brown-haired young lady stared down at the ring in her palm. She was almost smiling as she glanced up again. "Um…I don't know what to say. I guess…" she said, faltering. "…Thank you, Miss Belduke."
"I suggest you keep it away from him," Eve remarked, once more glaring at Emeer.
He began quivering under more than one glowering gaze. "I didn't know it was yers!" he blubbered. "I jus' found it lying around, is all!"
"Enough!" Eve exclaimed, striking her desk with the palm of her hand. She looked to the two knights who were helping to hold up Emeer. "You will take this miserable excuse of a man to the pawnshop, see that he turns in all those ridiculous baubles and bring the money to me. Kira and I will be reimbursed for the items we had to buy back, as well any others he's pilfered from."
"Yes, Miss Belduke!" The knights saluted her with their free hands and marched Emeer away.
Kira slipped the recovered ring on her finger, reasoning that there it would be safe. "Yeah, so like I said before… Thanks. I thought I was going to be blamed again. I guess you two are all right after all," she said quickly. "Anyway, I have a lot of flowers to sell. I'll just be leaving now."
After the flower girl's departure, Espella turned to her friend. "It's all over, isn't it? Oh, what a relief! I'm glad it turned out the way it did. I just didn't think Mr. Barnham, Kira or the others would have taken it. And you were absolutely marvelous, Eve! I think everyone was impressed at how you unraveled the case."
The dark-haired young woman sighed. "I'm only glad it's over now. And I couldn't have done it without you, Espella…you and everyone we talked to yesterday…though I'm liable to wring that parrot's neck if I hear him screech that word again!"
"Maybe we can teach Cracker a new word! We should ask Birdly about it," Espella said, her eyes brightening at the idea.
Eve was just rising from her chair when someone else poked a head into the room. In that first second, with only a glance from the corner of her vision, the former high inquisitor thought it was Barnham, come to bother and bewitch her out of her irascibility; she'd only opened her mouth when she realized it was not the man, but his sister. She pressed her lips together and didn't realize that a tiny smile to creep over them.
"Hello, Rouge!" Espella said cheerily, and waved her over.
The tavern's mistress returned with a quick greeting and an easy, unaffected smile, as she was never was one to make pretense out of what was on her mind. She glanced briefly at Espella, and then Rouge fixed her gaze, which was like keen blue fire, on Eve.
"I just wanted to tell you that you did a real fine job out there. Better than any play, I'll wager!"
Eve stammered something and managed to suppress none of her rosy-cheeked embarrassment. "Never again!" she muttered.
If anything, the redhead's easy, unaffected smile deepened. "Anyway, that's all I wanted to say. I'm grateful to you for helping Zack out of the mess he got himself into."
"'Twas nothing, really," Eve said, and faltered, berating herself silently. Of course it was more than nothing! What a fool she was! She tried to select her next words with more care. "I… I would have tried to do the same for anyone, I think."
Espella shifted on her feet and tossed one of her braids over her shoulder. "We're going to head back to the bakery. Would you come with us, Rouge? We'd like it so much, and I know Aunt Patty would welcome you."
"I've got to get back to my place. I left Cutter in charge of the counter and he's probably let half my stores go for less than half what they're worth… He's either too busy jawing or messing with his sculptures to pay attention to anything else. Sometimes I wonder where he left his head at…"
"Oh…that is too bad," the blonde girl said, some of her smile fading. "I suppose it can't be helped."
But, after a moment of seeing Espella's disappointment, Rouge relented. "Tell you what… You ask me another time and I won't refuse." She glanced surreptitiously at Eve, who was still quelling her embarrassment and didn't notice. "…I'd just be in the way now."
Espella did notice the look, but she kept the knowledge of it to herself. With a word of farewell passing between them, the fiery-haired tavern keeper was then gone. Espella noticed that her friend was searching for some non-existent article on her desk, her head bent away to shield the evidence of her embarrassment, caught red-faced as she was.
"Let's go back, shall we? Aunt Patty will be so glad to hear how everything turned out! It's a shame Dad had to go to London yesterday, but I'll just have to tell him all about it upon his return."
She linked arms with her friend and they descended to the first floor again. The blonde young lady chattered and Eve found herself smiling faintly again. She knew that more reconstruction work awaited her, but just for a little while she wanted to relax, spend some time with her friend and a cup of tea, and perhaps a bit of Patty's work to savor…and no more plays or missing rings!
Seated at the top of the outer steps was the redheaded knight, absently stroking the head of his little white dog. Barnham jumped to his feet as soon as he heard the creak of the heavy doors; he darted toward them and held them open while the two young women exited.
"M-Miss Eve! I… I am sorry I could not help you. You have every right to be angry with me…but still I must ask your pardon," he blurted out, as if the words left a distasteful sensation on his tongue.
He fixed her with eyes most pleading and brows that still looked fierce. She waited for a moment while she pressed her lips together; she wanted to make him wait and wonder for just a short spell, while at the same time she didn't want to cruelly withhold her answer too long.
"As long as you realize what a foolish choice it was… Then I accept your apology, Zacharias," she said, and her expression eased as she did. All her displeasure and ire toward him was already fading. She was so relieved it was over that she couldn't stay mad at him, and she'd also proved what she'd said to him, so she felt she had the upper hand as well.
His face lost all of its earlier worried look, his mouth no longer grim. "You have my thanks as well, Miss Eve, Miss Cantabella, for clearing me of all suspicion. Your performance was most inspiring!"
"It was all Eve's doing," said Espella, smiling and giving a playful pull at her friend's elbow.
"There's still one thing I haven't figured out…" the former high inquisitor admitted. She fixed her turquoise eyes on him compellingly. "What were you doing in that shop in the first place? …And don't you dare pull that silent treatment on me again, Zacharias Barnham!"
His eyebrows went up and then down again. "I…erm… Uh…"
The blonde girl looked up at him, her lip twisting in pity over his predicament. "You should tell her, Mr. Barnham. I…uhm… I'm afraid I already said too much."
Eve crossed her arms as best she could while her friend's elbow was still locked with hers. She lowered her head slightly and kept him within her stare. "I'm waiting, Zacharias."
With a blush of embarrassment showing even through his tan, the knight frowned. "…Err, well… If you insist… I went to the shop in search of something to buy."
"I didn't need you to tell me that," she huffed.
His forehead furrowed as he considered the dust on his shoes. "'Twas just some pretty little thing I wished to buy…for…for you…Miss Eve."
"For me? But…why?" she questioned slowly. Her lips parted slightly as she beheld him rather perplexedly.
His color deepened as he met her eye. "'Twas for your birthday, Miss Eve. The éclair turned out not at all as I wanted and I thought to get you something else… But the pieces were too costly for my meager purse."
"He's been searching all over town for something," volunteered the blonde girl. Now that the truth was out, she smiled with relief as she glanced between the two former inquisitors.
The last little puzzle piece fell into place and Eve reasoned well what had transpired. No doubt Barnham had asked Espella for her advice about the gift and requested that she keep it a secret. She was of half a mind to scold him for making such a mess in the first place, but then the sentiment of the whole situation appealed to her. He had gone to a great deal of trouble on her behalf, after all…even if he did have to muck things up horribly.
"I'm very flattered, Zacharias, but 'tisn't necessary to trouble yourself so. I appreciated the gift you gave me…and it was quite delicious."
He took a long moment before her words fully permeated his brain. A happy, embarrassed look gradually came over his face as he regarded her. She stared back at him, as if daring him to make something more out of it.
"Uhm… Anyway, we were headed back to the bakery," Espella said, breaking the silence, much to her friend's relief. "Are you coming, Sir Barnham?"
"What…? Oh, er… Indeed. I shall be pleased to escort you."
The blonde young lady giggled quietly behind her hand and Eve rolled her eyes. The three of them walked toward the forest path leading to town, Constantine darting ahead with exuberant yips.
"We baked éclairs this morning," the knight said. He looked sideways at the former high inquisitor. "Perhaps you would care for one?"
Was that his attempt at a peace offering? Eve wondered. He had to have made them before coming to the old courthouse. Her lip twisted as she tried to decide whether his endeavor was charming or pathetic.
"…I think I should enjoy an éclair, Zacharias."
You know, maybe it isn't so strange that Eve and Barnham did as well as they did in the play. After all, they were offering a sort of performance each time one of them stepped behind the inquisitor's bench. Just a little food for thought...
After I started writing this whole sequence of the missing ring and the suspect substitute, I knew it would be much, much too long for a single chapter. So I figured three chapters might do it. I was pleased because that would be just like a three-act play and the perfect tie in for this series of chapters. But, as often happens when I write, more stuff comes along, and it takes me a bit longer than I anticipated to write it all, so I get long chapters, longer chapters and stupidly long chapters. So now we have a four-act play. Hey, it still works, doesn't it?
08-29-2020 ~ Published