Chapter Nineteen: Due Diligence

…

Constable White took the carriage back toward the busy area of the East District. Where Link and Navi (reluctantly) stepped out was only a few streets south from Yoanna Merrill's murder scene, leaving White idling on a side road out of the heavy traffic. They had to cross Eighty-Fifth North to reach the bakery Link was walking toward, a feat made easier when Navi held up her badge to signal the traffic cop manning the rotating sign mounted in the middle of the intersection.

The bakery Link was leading Navi to was called "Home Oven", a small business tucked away between tall office buildings on either side. Upon entering, Navi felt the bustle of city traffic fade into the background of a diner-like atmosphere supplemented by the scent of fresh pastries. She had to turn around to make sure it was still there, a quick look through the large windows at the front. Then she glanced around to see that only one of the tables were occupied by a man who was finishing a donut while reading a newspaper.

Link strode forward and looked into the display case. Then he told the tall, lanky man waiting on the other side, "I'd like one of those teacakes in there, please."

"Coming up, Officer," the man replied. Then he paused opening the case and said, "Uh… those are left over from this morning; they aren't very fresh."

Link gave him a half-grin as he explained, "I'm a constable in the Watch; I'd eat it if you threw it on the floor."

The man chuckled as he retrieved one of the teacakes from the case. "Whatever you say, Constable."

Navi strode up behind Link and asked, "You couldn't wait until we got back to headquarters? You could've found something to eat there."

Link turned his grin on her for a moment before moving to the counter next to the display case. "While I'm here, you mind if I ask a few questions?" he said to the man.

The man exchanged a confused look with an older woman who had just walked past his back. "Sure, Officer," he said as he rang up Link's teacake, now sitting on the counter wrapped in wax paper.

"Were you working the counter this morning?" Link asked.

"Oh, sure," the man answered. "I opened this morning."

Link placed his blue Rupee on the counter. "Business pretty busy?"

"Meh," the man said as he took the Rupee. "Could be better. We usually get a steady stream of customers in the morning. Nothing this old place can't handle."

"Any regulars?"

The man answered as he popped open the register's drawer, "Sure."

"Do you know a woman by the name of Yoanna? Probably about my height, blond hair."

"Yeah, I know her," he said with a nod, pushing Link's change toward him. "She was in here this morning." Then he put a concerned look on his face. "Did something happen?"

"'Fraid so. She was killed this morning."

The man visibly paled. "Oh, dear…"

"I'll save you the details," Link said as he took his change. "We're investigating the incident, trying to retrace her steps this morning."

"Uh…" The man glanced nervously around the small dining room. Then he moved to the hinged section of the counter and stepped out. "Why don't we get a little more comfortable?"

"Okay," Link said as he grabbed his teacake off the counter.

When he joined the man at a table in the furthest corner away from the man reading the newspaper, the man asked in a low voice, "How can I help?"

"Do you recall if anything happened this morning when Yoanna came in?" Link asked.

The man seemed to give the question some thought before answering, "No."

"Did you notice if she came in with someone? Or if another regular was paying attention to her?"

The man took in a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Officer, I wish I could tell you. I tend to focus on one person at a time; I wasn't paying attention to anyone else when I was serving her."

"What about other regulars you've noticed?"

"We get about the same dozen each day, faces I know better."

"Well, I know she isn't here that frequently. Any other regulars that tend to come in on the same day as her?"

The man shook his head. "I can't say anyone stands out."

"No one loiterin' outside the door?"

"I generally don't notice anyone outside unless things are slow. I don't recall anything this morning."

"What about when Miss Merrill was here before? Anything stand out?"

The man shook his head again. "Nothing, really."

"Anyone besides us ever ask questions 'bout her?"

"Pretty young lady like that? Yeah, there've been a few that asked about her. Nothing particularly unusual; a few young men here and there asking her name. You know, the love-at-first-sight kind."

"Any of them try hittin' on her?"

"Well, not in front of me, but they'd be too stupid to not have tried. I think I've even seen a couple hustle out of the store to follow her."

"Any… unsavory types ever show interest?"

"Possibly. It's hard to say anymore. But I'd bet she wouldn't come back anymore if she had a bad experience with any of those young men."

"Did she ever tell you where she went after coming here?"

The man scrunched his face as he thought. "Nnnnnno, I don't believe so. She never really chatted a whole lot. Maybe she did, but I don't really remember." He glanced over Link's shoulder. "Look, you might want to keep your voice down a bit."

"Why?" Navi asked, having gone unnoticed during the conversation.

"Customer in the corner," the man replied. "He works for the newspaper; he likes to have lunch here. I'm not sure what he does, but… you know, better safe than sorry."

Navi turned and glanced at the other customer to see that his donut had been finished and was now holding up the newspaper to almost completely cover himself. "Well, I am sure the nobles will not be keeping too quiet about Miss Merrill's death," she replied, though nonetheless keeping her voice low.

The man raised his eyebrows. "She was nobility?" he asked.

Link nodded. "Daughter of Marcus Merrill," Link said.

"Oh…" The man had to shake his head after a moment in attempt to rid himself of shock. "Sorry, I'm a little surprised. She didn't really carry herself like a noble. I thought she might've just been a… well… come to think of it, I'm not really sure what I thought she was. I guess that explains it. She's a noble, so she didn't really come across as being employed."

"Well, she had something lined up," Link commented. He looked up at Navi. "Anything you'd like to ask?"

Navi heaved a sigh and reached a hand into one pocket. "No," she said, "but, Mister…"

"Oh, the name's Bradley," the man said.

"Mister Bradley," Navi continued as she removed a card from her pocket, "if you or any of your coworkers happen to remember anything from this morning or from other encounters with Miss Merrill, we would like you to contact us at Watch Headquarters. Homicide division."

Mister Bradley took the card she offered him. "Oh, sure," he said. "Um… good luck with the investigation."

"Are you done, Constable?" Navi asked.

"Yep," Link said as he stood up.

Mister Bradley returned to the counter while Link and Navi moved to the door. Navi glanced over her shoulder to see him speak to his coworker. Then she followed Link outside. "You knew which bakery to go to?" she asked once the door was closed.

Link held up a finger so that he could finish the bite he had taken from his teacake. "I used to walk the beat in this district, too," he pointed out. "Based on the direction she was going and what her parents said about her routine, this seemed the most likely spot to check. There aren't many other bakeries in this area, at least none that I remember."

"And what were you trying to establish here?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Whether she had a stalker or not," Link said. He shrugged and added, "It's still up in the air, but I'm leaning more and more toward someone in the House killing her."

"What kind of motive are we supposed to have for one of her own House to kill her?" Navi asked.

"What motive is there for a stranger to kill her?" Link countered. "The motive here depends too much on the people; we need a suspect first."

"Well, as we're going now, we don't seem to have that."

"Then it probably won't help, but I'd like to go to Madame Blue's place next."

Navi's face scrunched with confusion while her hair momentarily turned purple. "Madame Blue… that's her hair stylist, right?" Link nodded. "Why there?"

"It would be the only other place outside the Merrills' home that knew she was coming. It's probably our last place to check before we start looking at the House itself."

Navi heaved a sigh, her hair flashing maroon before changing back to the deep blue (almost black) that Link realized was her usual, calm appearance. "I suppose there's some merit in the diligence…" she groaned to herself.

Link and Navi crossed the street back to the carriage and told Constable White their next destination at a hair salon on Eighty-Seventh North. White groaned about the next location, and neither one of the Homicide officers could blame her. It was not long after noon, and the traffic had been extra thick today due to part of the road being closed off after Yoanna Merrill's murder. Link had finished his teacake before they were even past the first block. From there, both he and Navi had fallen into a contemplative silence as they each reviewed the facts of the case. Things had fallen in favor of someone at House Merrill arranging the murder, a scenario strengthened by their visit to the bakery. Navi also still feared that this may yet prove to be a feud, especially since she had the idea that Marcus Merrill might not be aware of someone looking at sabotaging him. So far, there were no overt indications as to why a complete stranger would murder Yoanna; another noble targeting Marcus Merrill for his successful business would be more likely, especially if he had a competitor he did not know about. The possibilities worried her, and she began wishing for someone to come forward and at least act like they might have killed her.

Three hours later (a decidedly embarrassing record for traveling just six blocks' distance), White located Madame Blue's Salon and drove onto an unencumbered alley in order to park the carriage off the clog that was Eighty-Seventh North. Crossing the street was easier, and Navi grumbled that they should have just walked from the bakery.

One step into the salon assailed both Watch officers with the thick scent of over a hundred hair care products and potions. The bell above the doorway alerted one woman standing at the counter, a heavy-set, dark-skinned lady with her hair styled into an ocean-blue wave that stood up from her scalp. Her clothes were just as vibrant: a frilly white shirt underneath a blue waistcoat covered in white and cyan embroidery depicting swells on the ocean. Her friendly smile quickly turned concerned as she realized who had stepped inside.

"Can I help you, officers?" she asked.

Navi glanced at the stations behind her to see the other three employees busy with customers. "We have a few questions about one of your clients," she then told the woman. "Yoanna Merrill?"

"Yes, she had an appointment today," the woman replied with a nod. "I wasn't expecting her to miss it; she's usually quite consistent with making her appointments. Did something happen?"

"Yes," Navi replied. "She was killed this morning on her way to your salon."

The woman paled and staggered as she took a step back, knocking over a bottle of shampoo that had been set next to her hand. The nearest employee, as well as the woman whose hair she had been working on, glanced at the mirror in front of them to see what had happened. "Oh, beloved Goddesses, no…" she uttered.

"Do you assign employees according to appointments, or do they just take back whoever comes in?" Navi asked.

"I-I handle all of the appointments," the woman said. "My employees take care of the walk-ins."

"You're Madame Blue?" Navi asked.

The woman nodded. "Lawahiz Bulos," she said. "People around me find it easier to just call me 'Madame Blue'."

"We understand that she made the appointment with you last week. Does that sound correct?"

"I was working on a client. One of my employees made the appointment." For emphasis, she indicated one of the workers in the back. "She usually asks for the same time, so my employee had to set her back to today; she wanted to do it tomorrow."

"Was she at all troubled by the change in appointment?"

Madame Blue turned and called to one of her employees, "Marica, do you remember making the appointment for Yoanna last week?"

Marica, the young woman at the closest station, turned and said, "Yes?"

"Did she seem annoyed or anything like that?"

Marica shrugged her shoulders before saying, "She mumbled something about having to reschedule with a friend, but that was about it. She seemed a little annoyed, but it didn't last for long."

Madame Blue gave her a confused look. "Was she bringing a friend?"

"I don't think so…" Marica replied.

"She was getting her hair done for an outing with some of her friends," Navi spoke up, causing Madame Blue to turn back to her. "They had planned to go to a restaurant in two days."

Madame Blue nodded. "Do you… know what happened?" she asked.

"She was shot about three blocks from your salon," Navi replied. This caused Madame Blue to cover her mouth with a pair of manicured hands. "We wanted to ask about the previous times she was here."

Madame Blue nodded and took in a breath. "Well, I don't know what I can tell you," she admitted. "I have about fifty customers who call in for appointments throughout the month."

"Would you happen to know if any of them had appointments that coincided with Yoanna?"

"No," Madame Blue said with a shake of her head. "I only had one other girl taking appointments with me, and I fired her over a year ago because she was stealing my appointments. She was a hussy to begin with, but I caught her rewriting my appointments ledger and kicked her out. I'm not joking, either; I dragged her out by that ugly mop she called a style and kicked her guts when she tried to get back in." Then she put a wide-eyed look on her face when she remembered who she was talking to. "I, uh… I'm not in trouble for that, am I?"

"I'm a homicide detective, not a beat cop," Navi replied. "She probably had more to lose reporting you than taking the kick and leaving."

Madame Blue held up a finger and said, "Well, I just want you to know that I'm not usually that violent. That bitch was messing with my work, and I didn't appreciate it. She can do that at someone else's business."

"I'm sure she understands the sentiment," Navi said while Link lowered his face to hide his amused grin. "So, I take it that you don't have appointments that coincide with one another."

"No, ma'am."

"What about your walk-in customers? Did you ever happen to notice anyone else come in when Miss Merrill had an appointment?"

Madame Blue screwed up her face as she thought. "I don't think so," she said. "I definitely know that she was the only customer we had at her last appointment; she was a little uncomfortable with me and the girls chatting around her." She shook her head. "I know she's not the talkative type, so she probably didn't like listening to us gossip around her. But what are you going to do? That's how us hairdressers are."

"And there was no one you remember seeing at any other appointment?" Navi asked.

Madame Blue had put on a confused look when she saw Navi's hair flash maroon for a moment. She had to shake her head and asked, "I'm sorry?"

"There has been no one else that came in with her during her appointment?" Navi said. "Maybe a walk-in that someone noticed always seemed to come in at the same time? Or maybe just after she got here?"

"If there was, no one said anything," Madame Blue said. "Trust me; if we saw someone coming in here following her, we couldn't keep it off our tongues."

"What about anyone lingering outside?"

"Pffft. All the time. Some of these boys around here, they see a pretty girl walk in and mess up my front windows trying to stare in at them. I beat them off with whatever I have in my hands, the little perverts."

Navi raised an eyebrow. "Any faces stick out?"

"Young man with a bicycle messenger service, but I haven't seen him back since I cracked his head with a hot comb. Broke the damn thing, but I think he got the message; he hasn't been back for months."

"Anyone else?"

Madame Blue shook her head. "They usually do it once, maybe twice. Most of them don't seem very inclined to show their faces around here again."

"I can imagine…" Link uttered under his breath.

"Were you aware that Miss Merrill was from the noble House Merrill?" Navi asked.

Madame Blue gave a brief, thoughtful frown. "I suspected," she said. "It wasn't anything she talked about, but I've seen some of the outfits she wore in here. Nothing particularly showy, but definitely a higher price tag than some of the other customers I've had. The fact that she always scheduled once she was old enough seemed to give it away. I know I haven't seen her mother lately, but, as I recall, she was a very elegantly-dressed woman."

"Did any of your customers ever express interest in her? Maybe asked about her after she left?"

The immediate response was a dismissive wave. "Some of the ladies that come in here are just a bunch of judgmental hens. They were more interested in what their neighbors and 'friends' were doing than pay attention to a stranger. I think one lady made a comment about her shoes. I told that bitch where she could stuff her opinion; no one makes my favorite customers cry." This caused Marica to giggle as she trimmed her customer's hair.

Navi pulled a business card from her pocket and passed it to Madame Blue. "If you happen to think of anything else, please contact me at the Homicide division of Watch headquarters. Any help would be appreciated."

"Oh, of course…" She stopped to glance down at the name on the card. "Detective Navi."

"Anything else, Constable?" Navi asked Link.

Link finally looked up and released an audible sigh of relief. "Nope," he replied with a grin on his face.

Navi gave him a confused look (her hair shifting purple, causing Madame Blue to mirror the expression) before addressing Madame Blue once more. "Thank you for your time, ma'am. We will return if we have further questions."

"Good luck, Detective," Madame Blue said with a wave as Navi and Link turned and left.

When they stepped back onto the sidewalk outside, they were greeted by a cart driver rattling off a loud string of swear words at the stopped traffic in front of them. He quickly silenced himself upon spotting Navi and Link staring at him. Navi glanced at Link and nodded in the direction of White. With the same ease as before, they crossed the street and stepped into the alley where White was waiting.

"How's it going, Detective Sergeant?" White asked once they were close enough.

"Not as enlightening as I'd hoped," Navi said. "That woman is a battery suspect waiting for the perfect victim." Then she crossed her arms and turned to Link. "But that's fairly reasonable to you, isn't it?"

Link nodded and said, "It's looking more and more like someone in the House is responsible. Though, to be fair, both places are so busy that they'd probably miss anyone hanging out on the street waiting for her."

"Anywhere else you'd like to go?" Navi asked.

Link shook his head. "I think we're done for today. I can't think of anywhere else to go, and it's gonna be a pain gettin' out of all this traffic." For emphasis, he indicated the street behind him.

Navi heaved a sigh. "This is certainly going to make an interesting report to Wheatland… Constable, we're heading back to headquarters."

"Yes, ma'am," White said as she stowed her cards yet again.