Scene II: Who Dun It?

The streets of Burka were quiet except for the silent shuffle of footsteps that were headed for the cabins on the outskirts of town. The door to Marguerite's cabin silently opened as a lone figure entered and carefully closed the door behind them.

After quietly rummaging through the pack placed by the door, the person left as quietly as they had entered. As the figure closed the door and turned to cross the small street to Malone's cabin, a hand snaked out and grabbed him.

Several people with torches converged on the figure.

"Jun!" Aldaz cried in surprise. He pushed his way through the several guards who had surrounded Jun. Malone and two others guards were holding the struggling culprit. "I want an explanation! What were you doing in Miss Krux's cabin in the middle of the night?"

Jun tried to shake off the arms holding him in place. "Let go of me! I needed to talk to her about something. But I found she was asleep and I changed my mind and left."

Malone scoffed. "It's three in the morning, of course she would be sleeping. If you wanted to talk to her so badly you would have woken her up."

Jun shrugged. "I did not want to disturb her."

"So would it interest you if I told you Marguerite wasn't even in her cabin when you were searching for Roxton's gun?"

Jun's face flushed with anger. "That is not true."

"You might as well confess, Jun. We already know how you did it, we just needed proof. We have already found your necklace in the tunnel. That was probably why you headed back to Roxton's cabin before we stumbled upon you that morning and you offered to help us. You probably thought you dropped it there and wanted to get back in and look for it. We staged that entire scene with Aku earlier to make you believe we had your fingerprints on the weapon knowing you'd try to steal it later. All we had to do was wait."

"You tricked me?!" Jun tried to lunge at Malone but the guards had him in a firm grip.

Aldaz stepped between them. "They had told me you were responsible, but I did not believe them. I defended you! Pourquoi? Pourquoi? I considered you as much of a son as I did Rani. How could you betray your family?"

Jun continued to struggle beneath the firm grip of Malone and the other guards. "No hable conmigo de la familia! I saved Rani when he was a pathetic child who received nothing but pity! It was because of his association with me that Burka loved him! And what of me? I became 'Rani's friend' but I am Jun! You could not wait to embrace Rani as a real member of your family! Already I was beginning to be forgotten."

Aldaz shook his head sadly. "Your words disappoint me. Take him away," he whispered.

"Hold on," Malone said as the guards had started to pull him along, "where's your accomplice?"

For the first time since being caught red handed, Jun looked concerned. "What accomplice?"

"The entire time Marguerite and I were investigating, we were wondering how you were staying one step ahead of us. But you made your mistake when you tried to frame Aku. You picked that fight with him to cover up your scuffle with Roxton and make sure Aku had the same injuries. But there was no way you could have planted the gun in his house. When Aku got back, Roxton's missing gun was already waiting for him. You couldn't have placed it there. You used the fight as a diversion so your accomplice could get into Aku's house."

Jun's face became stone hard as he kept his silence.

"Well?" Malone prodded. "Make this easier on yourself. Why take the blame for everything yourself? Tell us!"

"Over here!"

Malone and the rest of the group turned at the sound of Marguerite's shout and the screams that followed her.

"Let go of me!"

The guards' gasp of surprise was nothing compared to Aldaz's. "What is the meaning of this?!"

Kalee elbowed Marguerite in the ribs and started to run when Marguerite grabbed her by the hair and pulled her back. "Two can play dirty, sister."

"Me lâcher! Fermarlo lei la donna matta! Alguien me ayuda!" Kalee continued to struggle as Marguerite pulled her by the hair to the gathered group.

"Where was she hiding?" Malone asked.

Marguerite handed her over to the guards who were hesitant to hold her knowing she was Aldaz's granddaughter. Seeing Marguerite's glare, they reluctantly complied.

"She was hiding down the street. As soon as she saw Jun get pinched she tried to make a run for it," Marguerite replied.

Hearing this Jun turned angrily to Kalee. "Is that true?"

The change that Kalee had undergone was repulsive. Her usual sweet demeanor had turned malicious. "You certainly did not expect me to stay and get caught with you el stupido!" she spat.

Jun again began struggling against his captors. "Era toda sua idéia! She told me how we could kill Rani and make it look like the strangers were responsible!"

"Connard! Feche para cima!" Kalee shouted.

"Why don't you both shut up!" Marguerite interjected.

Aldaz was deeply saddened. "Kalee, how can you be involved? You loved Rani, you were to be wed!"

"Through no decision of my own! You and Rani were set to plan the rest of my life without asking me what I wanted!"

"And you had to kill him?" Aldaz painfully asked. "Why did you not simply tell me?"

"I tried several times to tell you I was not ready for marriage, that I did not love Rani but you would not listen, abuelo! Rani was a pitiful child, he would never be a man I would admire."

Aldaz's entire world had shattered. In the last two days he had lost all the family he had. "My heart has become heavy. Where did I go wrong?" He sighed deeply and bent his head to wipe the tears from his eyes. "Take them away," he whispered.

"Abuelo! Abuelo!" Kalee shouted as the guards pushed her to walk behind Jun. "Do not do this!"

Aldaz turned his back and tried to ignore her screams of protest as they faded away down the street. He cried freely in the street, with only Marguerite and Malone to console them.

"You can't blame yourself, Aldaz," Malone tried to reason.

Marguerite rubbed his back softly. "Sometimes, people change and there's nothing we can do to stop it."

Aldaz wiped his face with his hand. "Please excuse me," he replied huskily, voice thick with regret, "your friend is free to go of course. I must leave you now."

"Thank you," Malone said.

"For what it's worth," Marguerite added, "I'm very sorry."

He nodded as he turned away. They watched him walk down the dark, deserted streets of Burka. The old man who once was so full of life now walked slowly, dejected. No reason to rejoice anymore.

"Poor man," Marguerite commented.

Malone nodded. "He lost everyone he cared about at once. He was a victim in this."

"So were Rani and Roxton," Marguerite added. "Amazing how much damage two people can cause, isn't it?"

"Yeah," he agreed as he sighed. "Should we tell Roxton the news or should we tell him in the morning?"

"Now. I doubt he's sleeping. Most likely sitting awake and waiting for word of his fate and I'd rather not leave him in suspense."

"All right, let's go."

Within a few minutes, Marguerite and Malone had crossed the town and had Roxton freed from his prison cell.

Roxton seemed surprised as he walked into the streets of Burka a free man. "How did you do it?" he asked.

"We found the murderers just like I told you we would," Malone said with a smile. "That will teach you to doubt us."

"Murderers? As in more than one?" Roxton asked.

Marguerite nodded. "For the longest time, I couldn't understand why I felt so uneasy. It has never taken me so long to figure someone out. So many decisions the murderer made didn't seem to track with his other decisions. Once we started piecing everything together, I was able to see that the reason for my confusion was because there was an accomplice involved."

"Who were they?" Roxton asked.

"Jun and Kalee," Malone answered.

Roxton was more disappointed than surprised. "And how did they justify their actions?"

"Oh you know how the story goes," Marguerite began, "boy loves girl, girl doesn't love boy. Girl resents grandfather forcing her to marry boy, girl uses boy's best friend who she knows is in love with her to kill said boy."

Roxton sighed. "What a shame. So many lives ruined because of two misguided youths."

"Yeah," Malone agreed. "I guess there's no reason to stick around now. Rani was the only one who could have helped us."

"I guess so," said Roxton. "Although we'll have to wait a few hours for first light."

"Just a minute," Marguerite cut in before Malone could speak. "We need to get something cleared up first."

"Uh-oh," Malone said and stepped back.

Marguerite stepped closer to Roxton until she was mere inches away and gave him one of her worst glares. "The next time you try something as stupid as trying to turn yourself in for something you didn't do, I might be tempted to let you do it!" She crossed her arms as she continued her tirade. "Imagine, trying to negate all our hard work by something so foolish!"

Roxton stared blankly for a few moments before he startled her by enveloping her in a hug, crossed arms and all. "Thank you, Marguerite."

Releasing her, Marguerite smiled and straightened her blouse. "Well, it was a team effort."

Roxton gave Malone a hearty handshake. "Thank you, Ned. Thank you both."

Malone smiled. "Don't mention it."

"Ha!" Marguerite said. "I will. Don't expect me to let you forget this so soon Lord Roxton. Once again, I've had to save your life."

"And again, I thank you." Roxton smiled seeing Marguerite was still standing very close to him. "How can I ever repay you?"

Marguerite's eyes lit up as she lightly bounced on the balls of her feet. She leaned in a bit closer to Roxton. "I'm sure you'll think of something."

"A picnic for two perhaps?" Roxton replied with a grin as his focus went to Marguerite's lips that were so close to his own.

Marguerite heard Malone cough and as she glanced over, she saw he was trying to look very interested in his boots. She smiled broadly as she looked back to Roxton. "We'll see," she whispered as she turned back to the road.

"Well," Malone said as he fell in step with Roxton, "it's good to see you a free man."

"It's good to be free. About what you did back there…you saved my life, Ned."

Malone shrugged it off. "It's nothing you wouldn't have or already haven't done for me."

"Still, thank you nonetheless."

Malone smiled. "You're welcome."

Marguerite stopped walking and turned around. "What are you two whispering about back there? Hurry along, I want to get at least a few hours sleep before we have to get back on the road tomorrow."

Malone laughed. "Looks like everything's back to normal."

End Scene II
End Act III