Chapter Twenty-One: Thieves

The next morning started with Link walking in on roll call late. Not that he and Navi would be given another assignment that quickly; they tended to go to the senior officers, and there was only one available. Wheatland did not berate him, but he at least told Link not to make it a habit. After roll call, Navi was busy speaking with DS Grey about an old case they had worked on. From what Link could overhear before Navi gestured at him to go away, the suspect had skipped bail, so she was sharing information on his possible whereabouts so that DS Grey could take a couple of the division's uniformed officers to go look for him.

The conversation ended, and Grey left. About a minute later, Navi called to Link, who had been rolling a pen across DI Rusk's desk, "Constable?"

Link looked up and over toward where Navi had pointed. Layla was standing in the doorway to their office, escorted by a uniformed sergeant. She was not wearing a disguise as before. Instead, she had dressed in a pair of tan slacks and a white, oversized, button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Her hair had been tied into a ponytail high on the back of her head, causing her hair to bob when she turned in response to Navi addressing Link.

Link and Navi both rose from where they sat, and Navi held out a hand toward Layla as she told the escort, "Okay, Sergeant, we'll take her from here."

"Yes, ma'am," the sergeant answered before turning and leaving.

"This way, Miss Layla," Navi said, her hand sliding across the air to indicate the interrogation rooms in the corner behind her desk. Wheatland cleared his throat, and Navi promptly told him, "We'll be in room one, sir." Wheatland frowned at Layla before giving a nod of acknowledgement. Link quickly crossed the room to join them.

The interrogation rooms were bare concrete blocks much like the outside of the headquarters building. Directly next to the door was a large window with a clear view to the short hallway which connected the rooms to the squad room. The table was metal and bolted to the floor, a single chain with a cuff on the end welded to the edge opposite the observation window. A single bulb illuminated the room along with the slit windows high on the wall behind where the suspect was supposed to sit.

Layla frowned at the dank atmosphere as she entered the room behind Navi. "You need to open a window in here," she said.

"The windows are barred shut," Navi said as she indicated the seat in front of the chain. Layla gave the cuff on the chain an idle tap before sitting down. Navi took the chair opposite of her.

"So," Link began as he closed the door behind them. "What'd you get us?"

Layla leaned back in the chair and crossed her arms. "It's about as much as I already told you," she said. "Marcus Merrill is one of the good ones."

"That doesn't tell us much," Navi said. "We could use a little more detail than that."

Layla shrugged in response. "Like what?"

"Well, what kind of property do they own, and would someone be willin' to kill for it?" Link asked.

Layla held up one hand to show her fingers as she spoke. "The House has three large properties, two in Hyrulia," she explained. "The first one is, obviously, their house. Some… small plot in the Adages, I think. The second is a factory, probably where they do most of their clothing manufacturing."

"Place in the Factory District?" Link asked.

"The Ice District, actually," Layla replied. Both officers gave her confused looks, Navi's hair subtly shifting to purple under the dim light. "My friend checked the owner history on the factory; he thought it was weird, too. Up until Merrill bought it, it was an abandoned slaughterhouse. I'm guessing the location was good for it because they could freeze the meat pretty quick, being so close to the mountains. He explained that the old owner, some… old noble who was the last of his House, passed away before he could sell it. It was sitting empty for about a decade; turns out no one wanted to buy something that smelled like death."

"But Merrill bought it anyway," Navi concluded.

"I would have to guess he removed the old owner's equipment and brought in machines for his textile business," Layla continued. "I went to see the factory myself last night. It's actually a pretty clean place. The place has four boilers to run the slaughterhouse; Merrill only uses two."

"So, what's the third property?" Link asked.

"A plantation near the west edge of Goron territory," Layla said. "Considering the property's purchase was made by Jacob Merrill, I'm guessing the property has been in the House the longest."

"Lord Merrill did say he was using his grandfather's method of machine-weaving cloth," Link said. "Makes sense the family'd have a plantation to grow the fibers on."

Layla nodded and said, "It looks like they grow cotton and flax mostly. Part of the property is also set aside for food crops."

"Did… you visit the plantation, too?" Navi asked, her hair changing to purple again.

"No. The copy of the old deed still has the proposed crop use listed on it. That's what they listed back when they bought the property. If I had to guess, the current Lord Merrill has been growing his own fibers and then shipping them to the factory. It's a whole self-contained process. Probably saves costs, too."

"Yeah, that's… quite a way to run things," Link said, his voice betraying mild awe. "You'd think a House with that kind of system would invoke some jealousy among the other nobles."

Layla shrugged. "That doesn't really seem to be the case," she said. "One of the adults in the Guild explained to me that, when a noble grabs up a textile factory, they generally use it to make clothes for other nobles. It's all about using fancy machinery to make the next trend. The only people who buy Merrill's brand are commoners. The methods he uses make clothing that's durable. There's not much fashion involved. And there are far more commoners in Hyrule than nobles. Merrill found a market that one, maybe two other Houses are willing to touch."

"So, we might assume that this might be the work of a common competitor," Navi concluded.

"I don't really think so," Layla said. "Merrill's brand is good, but it's a little more expensive compared to a commoner-run business. It's the kind of stuff for well off workers, so not just anybody can afford it. Besides, there's no point in thinking killing the family is going to do anyone any good."

"Why not?" Navi asked.

Layla scrunched her face as she debated her words. "Well… we have a contact at the First Bank of Hyrulia," she admitted.

"You what," Navi said with a flat voice.

"Do-don't get the wrong idea," Layla quickly added, hands raised. "He works there. Has for years. He's part of the records keeping department. He has access to a lot of the documentation that the nobles leave there for storage. Including wills. The contents of those wills are only sealed by the owner. Merrill's is open."

"You mean anyone can just go in and read his will?" Link asked.

"Well, not precisely," Layla said. "You have to have authorization from the will's owner. But he can give us the basics; he has to review and change these things all the time. He said Merrill had just changed his yesterday since his daughter was killed."

"What does the will say?" Navi asked.

"That all his property goes to his son after his death," Layla said. "He also has his will set up so that, if the whole family is wiped out, the ownership of his properties changes. The plantation goes to the people who live on it; the landlord is in charge of dividing the property for the families there. Ownership of the factory goes to the building manager, and the brand goes with it. The house is set up to be sold at a property auction, and the proceeds are to be donated to the City of Hyrulia."

"Why donate to the city?" Link asked.

"It's actually a pretty common thing," Layla said. "The good nobles regularly donate to the city government. The government is mostly run by common politicians, so they don't have to worry about the money falling right into the nobility's lap. In short, if the House is killed, everything goes to the common folk."

"So then, this is unlikely to be a House feud," Navi concluded. "In fact, no one really has much need to target the Merrills."

"Well, seems to fit Merrill's story," Link said. "He keeps civil relations with the other Houses so their behavior doesn't spread into their House. I'm guessin' no one considers him much of a threat."

Navi heaved a sigh of relief as she leaned back in the chair. "Oh, boy…" she said. "I was worried we were dealing with a one-sided feud, but it doesn't even sound like the other nobles really care about Merrill."

Layla shrugged. "I suppose, but what does it mean?" she asked.

"That our other hunches are right," Link said.

"Anything else you guys wanna ask?" Layla said.

"Yeah, one more thing," Link said. He stepped to the corner of the table closer to Layla and leaned a hand on it. He bent so that his face was a little closer to Layla and puckered his lips, his eyes narrowed in a sensual fashion. "When would you like to hear the wedding bells?"

Layla gave him a confused look before her eyes narrowed in irritation. She stood up, prompting Link to straighten to his full height. She took a half-step toward him and—Pap!—slapped his face hard enough that Link's hand slipped off the table. He saved himself from the fall by staggering. Layla then marched past him, unlocked the door, and left the room. Navi covered her eyes with a hand, her hair shifting to bright pink as she forced the smile off her face as best as she could.

"Constable." Link and Navi jumped at the sound of Wheatland stepping in, his voice an irritated snap. "Go arrest her for striking an officer."

"I don't think it's justified, sir," Navi said as she stood up. "She has a… a history with Constable Fieldview."

"A history?" Wheatland asked. "You mean… an ex?"

"Trust me, sir," Navi said. "He wishes."

"She's gonna marry me some day," Link said, his mischievous smile mangled by him rubbing his stinging cheek.

"She's going to murder you some day, Constable," Navi replied. "Why do you do that to her? It seems like she should have reported you for harassment by now."

"Yeah, but I think she knows I'm just teasing her," Link said.

"You call flirting with her 'teasing'?" Navi asked.

"She started it."

Navi blinked in stupidity for a moment, her hair turning deep purple. "She did?"

Link chuckled a bit before explaining, "Back when I first busted her, she tried to seduce me so she could get away. I played along a bit, and then I cuffed her when I was close enough. She was pissed, but I had to let her go anyway."

"Well, at least keep it down in the station," Wheatland spoke up. "Talk like that around here makes an officer look dirty."

"Yes, sir," Link replied.

Wheatland pointed at the door and asked, "So that was your contact? What'd she say?"

"It appears that House Merrill doesn't have many assets, let alone anything the other nobles want, sir," Navi said. "Nor does his business have any appeal to them. I think it's safe to say that this isn't a House feud, not unless someone actually makes a move on House Merrill."

Wheatland nodded and took in a deep breath. "Well, that's the good news of the day," he said.

"There some bad news, sir?" Link asked.

"Yeah, I came here to let you know that the coroner is pissed," Wheatland said. "I just got off the phone with her. She thinks you guys are messing around with her."

"Messing around?" Link asked as he glanced at Navi.

"What did we do?" Navi asked.

Wheatland sighed and crossed his arms. "Well, I couldn't quite make it out over the phone," he said. "She was only using words half the time. Apparently, when she opened the body this morning, she found someone had defiled it. She thinks it was either you two or the district station. But, well… we're easier to reach."

"Did she say how it was defiled, sir?" Navi asked.

"If she did, I couldn't really tell," Wheatland said with a shrug. "She slammed the phone before I could ask any questions. Did you do anything to Merrill's body before the coroner picked her up?"

Navi and Link exchanged a look before shaking their heads. "No, sir," Navi said. "We weren't there for very long, and we know procedure better than that. The officers at the district station should know better, too."

"Well, you'd better get over there and find out what's going on, then. If there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's that grudge-bearing coroners can make life hell. I've already arranged transport for you."

Both officers were still taken aback as they rode to the Ice District. Neither had considered the coroner's examination to be vital to their investigation, the evidence of her death being in plain sight with no indications of any underlying issues. The situation was a first for both of them. Link's time with the Watch so far had not given him the opportunity to actually see the coroner's office. Being a patrol officer until now along with his low rank, he was little more than a body meant to take care of whatever tasks his superiors designated for him. Even his assignment to the Ice District had not allowed a glimpse at the coroner's office. As for Navi, while she had more experience interacting with the coroner's office, she had never encountered a coroner becoming enraged as Wheatland had described. Certainly, there were some with a grumpy disposition, being trained doctors disapproving of the way some of the victims lived. If the coroner was who Navi expected, it was indeed a rare event for her to even raise her voice.

The Ice District was the district of Hyrulia closest to Snowpeak, the mountain range to the northwest that was constantly besieged by wintry weather from the northern lands beyond. Its name comes from the fact that, upon expansion of Hyrulia into the area, many businesses found ways to incorporate the freezing temperatures into their work. Some established refrigeration companies that would haul water from the local rivers (except Zora's River, of course) and store it until it became ice, which would then be bought by other companies for their use. Butchers could freeze meat to be shipped to the farther towns and villages of Hyrule to be sold to local eateries. Likewise, crops of fruit and vegetables local to central Hyrule could be frozen and sent to outlying areas where growing them had proven to be problematic. The ice itself was also for sale to the nobility, who often used it to cool their homes or place it in an icebox to chill food and drink. Naturally, there was also the coroner's office, which had a massive ice storehouse which allowed them to preserve deceased victims so that they could be examined without the risk of decomposition ruining potentially vital evidence.

The building their carriage stopped at was almost touching Snowpeak. An exterior of grey brick, it had a small, lobby-like entrance in front of a two-story warehouse with windows high up closer to the roof to allow the cold air in the area maintain the office's store of ice. When Link stepped out, he felt an uncomfortable chill. Of course, whether it was the naturally colder air descending the mountain or the grim appearance of the coroner's office, he really could not be sure. He had been looking forward to experiencing examination through an autopsy right until they reached the front door.

Not that the lobby was uninviting. The inside was a small waiting room decorated in warm colors and a few potted plants. No one except the secretary, a young man wearing a white, button-up shirt (the only thing visible), at the front desk occupied the room, and he looked up in response to the door's bell jingling as it opened.

"Heeey, Detective Navi…" he half-spoke, half-groaned.

Navi gave a small grimace, having read the tone of a man who had recently sat through an angry tirade. "That bad, huh?" she asked.

"I don't know what you guys did, but I have never seen Justine pissed like this before," the secretary replied as an idle hand toyed with his short, curly, blond hair. He seemed to catch himself and tucked the lock behind one ear. "She was so mad, half the things she was saying about you guys sounded more like animal noises than words. Beau had to come out here and calm her down before the racket reached the neighbors. She's waiting for you in the exam room."

Navi sighed. "Okay, thanks for the warning, Teun," she said as she made to walk past his desk.

"Oh, new partner?" Teun asked as he indicated Link.

"Huh?" Navi uttered, stopping just short of the metal doors behind his desk. She had to glance back to remind herself that Link was still with her. "Oh, yeah. Teun, this is Constable Fieldview. He's new to Homicide. Fieldview, this is Teun Hobbler, one of the secretaries here at the office."

"Hello," Teun said, giving Link a weak grin.

"Hi," Link replied, his smile stronger since he was distracted.

"You might want to brace yourself," Teun continued. "This can be a pretty grim and disturbing place."

Link's smile took on an awkward undertone as he replied, "Yeah, I had a feeling…"

"At this point, I'm more worried about Justine," Navi said.

"Weeell, it may not be all that bad," Teun told her. "She's been quiet back there since she called you, so I guess she's calmer now."

"Any idea what she was mad about?" Navi asked. Teun's response was a shrug. Navi heaved a sigh and said to Link, "Well, I guess we'll find out anyway. Come on."

Link followed Navi through the double doors into a short hallway. When Navi pushed aside the next set of double doors, this pair swinging free instead of remaining closed, Link was immediately assaulted by the acrid scent of embalming chemicals mixed with the cold interior air and leaned backward as he walked through the doors. He tried to hold his breath as he followed her into a room, but he quickly found that the smell had already permeated his senses and made it a useless endeavor.

The room was a small examination room with a desk and file cabinet to the immediate left. When they entered, the desk's occupant quickly stood up, causing Link to start. She looked to be only a few years older than Link with short, auburn hair tied behind her head. She wore a bright red tunic and brown slacks underneath a long, thin, white jacket that had been stained in a few places by something pink.

Her brown eyes were wide for a moment, and then she put on a bright grin as she said, "Hey, Navi!"

"Justine," Navi said with an acknowledging nod, her voice level.

Justine's grin turned nervous as she said, "I guess, heh… you got my message, huh?"

"About as much as Wheatland could relay," Navi replied. "He said you were accusing us of defiling the body."

Justine started rubbing the back of her neck, her grin dropping. "Sorry…"

"Did something come up in Yoanna Merrill's autopsy?" Navi asked.

"Yeah, and, well…" She heaved a sigh. "Let me show you." She indicated the steel examination table in the middle of the room, upon which was a body covered by a stained, white sheet. "I kept Miss Merrill here; I figured you'd be coming to see me after my phone call."

"Well, when you holler at our boss, he hollers at us," Link said.

Justine, moving around her desk, froze in place and looked at Link. She pointed at Link and gave Navi a questioning look. Navi sighed and said, "Justine, this is Constable Link Fieldview. He's been assigned as my partner."

"Oh, so you're lead now?" Justine asked.

"Yeah."

"Oh. Congratulations." Justine leaned forward and waved a hand at Link. "Hello."

"Hi," Link said, a fresh breath of air turning his expression sour.

"Yeaaah, I know about the smell," Justine told him. She paused to wash her hands in a basin near the foot of the table, a quick dunking of her bare hands before grabbing a towel to dry off. "Don't worry; you get used to it after a while."

"I can't wait…" Link croaked as he noticed a strange taste on his tongue.

Justine motioned toward one side of the table as she stepped to the opposite and dropped the towel onto the floor. Once Navi and (reluctantly) Link stood at the head of the table, Justine pulled down the sheet. Link felt his skin crawl at the sight of Yoanna Merrill's ghostly face staring up at the overhead lamp with blue eyes clouded by death. Justine continued to pull the sheet and expose more of her body, and Link unconsciously took a step away once the young woman's chest was exposed.

Navi, unperturbed, leaned over Yoanna's body to look at the hole in her skin just right of the incision between her breasts. "Shot directly in the heart?" she asked Justine.

Justine reached over to a nearby tray and picked up a large, flat piece of bone. "Other than clipping her sternum," she said, pointing to a chip in said sternum in between two attached fragments of ribs, "it would have been instantly fatal. Whoever shot her put it right where she'd never survive."

"We suspect that it might have been a professional gunman," Navi explained. "Did you find the bullet?"

"Weeeell, that's… where things get a little weird," Justine said. She glanced up and noticed how far Link had moved away. She beckoned with one hand. "Here," she told him, fitting her other hand into the corner of one incision and pulling on the open flap of skin. Just the sound of wet flesh moving brought up a nasty taste in Link's mouth. She appeared to be ignoring the disgusted look on his face as she said, "Come take a look. You won't believe this."

"Can't say I believe it now," Link replied from his newly-claimed corner of the morgue.

Justine finished pulling aside the flaps of skin, and Navi peered inside the opening. Then she gave Justine a bewildered look, her hair turning gray for emphasis.

"Her body is empty."

Link looked up, his twisting stomach interrupted by the sudden air of intrigue in the office. Navi glanced around before asking, "Did you remove her organs already?"

Justine shook her head. "No," she replied. "They were not here when I opened her."

Link worked up the nerve to step up to Navi's side and glance into Yoanna Merrill's open chest. Because he had a basic education, he at least understood that there were enough organs in the human torso that it should appear packed. In Yoanna Merrill's case, however, the cavity was empty save for the remains of ribs that had had the flesh pulled off them and dry, pallid-pink tissue and muscle lining the inside of her body. No heart, no lungs, no esophagus, no stomach, no liver… Even never having seen the insides of a person living or dead, Link could tell that there was something very wrong with the cadaver on the exam table in front of him.

"Is there anything?" Navi asked.

Justine shook her head again. "I've checked down to her abdomen," she explained. "No intestines, no reproductive system, not even a bladder. So, I had a hunch." She pointed at Yoanna's forehead. "I opened her skull. Her brain is missing, too, and I couldn't find any sign of where her spinal cord might've been severed."

Navi shrugged her shoulders as her hair turned purple. "How? Did someone take them?"

"That was my thought, too," Justine said as she carefully smoothed Yoanna's skin back in place. "That was why I was mad; I thought someone had gutted her before she got to me. But other than a couple old scars on one knee, I couldn't find any other mark on her. Anyone who'd want to take those organs would have had to open her up much the same way I did. There isn't even any evidence that they were cut out. I opened her neck—" Here, she pointed at an incision on the front of Yoanna's neck, which had already been sewn shut. "—and found everything below past her epiglottis is missing. They weren't cut; I would have seen sharp edges from the tool. But her larynx looks almost like it was atrophied."

"What's 'atrophied'?" Link asked.

"Atrophy is when a part of the body shrinks because of disuse," Justine said. "It usually happens because muscles are not used or there's a loss of nerve control. That kind of thing doesn't really happen to the larynx, but…" She gestured at the body in front of her.

"Are you suggesting that someone took her organs before she was killed?" Navi asked.

"I know it doesn't make sense," Justine said, "but I don't think she had internal organs to begin with. There isn't any evidence that they were removed after she was killed, but it doesn't even look like they had been taken before she was killed, either. It's like she never had them."

"There's no way a person can survive like that," Link said. Then he glanced at Navi and asked, "Right?"

"There are plant creatures that don't need complex internal organs to survive," Navi said, "but they have thin bodies that are easier to control. Most magic creatures I know of have to have a solid body in order to move. If they had this much open space in their bodies, they would collapse just trying to stand up. Any other magic creature wouldn't leave a corpse behind; on death, the magic loses solidity and just disappears."

"This girl was alive two days ago," Link argued. "She must have had her organs then."

Justine shrugged and said, "I don't know what else to tell you. I can't find any evidence she ever had them." Link turned away from the table and started scratching his scalp. "I'll do some research, but I can't guarantee I'll find anything."

Navi gave him a moment to see if he had anything else to say. When he did not turn around, she told Justine, "Thanks, Justine. Let us know if you find anything else."