Chapter Thirty: Modus Operandi

…

The sun had set by the time Link and Navi returned to Watch Headquarters. Their stop was little more than a quick check-in with Winterbean since they would be holding more of their report for Wheatland. Still, Navi and Link bemoaned their lack of progress, although Dover pointed out that, while neither Hremorson nor Bolton had any issues with people likely to attack their families, the fact that Affini was inclined to flee the day following a shooting seemed to indicate that they might have someone targeting them. If true, it would be an appreciated break for both officers, but Navi was skeptical given how Bolton had appeared to want to do the same thing in spite of not having any rivalries inclined to target his House. Winterbean was in agreement with Dover and suggested that Navi go to the Travel department about dispatching a detective to track the Affinis down in the morning. Given Navi's experience with Travel, she was not very confident. Instead, she suggested giving Link's note a few days.

The next morning, Link and Navi showed up for roll call, Link stepping in just after Wheatland called attention to his desk. His attempt to duck past Wheatland's desk earned him the sarcastic comment of, "Thank you for joining us, Constable."

"Sorry, sir," Link said as he stood up next to Navi's desk. "Overslept."

"Don't make it a habit," Wheatland told him. "Even I need to show up on-time."

"Yes, sir."

Wheatland looked down at a piece of paper in his hands. "We have an incident that was called in about seven this morning," he told the room. "A factory worker was found dead inside one of the machines, likely accidentally caught in the works." He paused to glance at the roster on his desk. "Gray, you've got lead. Take Jester with you; he's got a light enough load."

"Yes, sir," Gray said as he and Jester stood up. They both marched up to Wheatland's desk, where Wheatland handed Gray the paper. Gray gave it a glance. "Factory District, naturally."

"There's already a transport waiting for you," Wheatland said. "Get to it."

"Yes, sir," both detectives said as they filed out.

"Okay, folks, on to your usual business," Wheatland said.

Link turned to Navi. "Looking forward to talking to teachers this morning?" he asked.

"Not particularly," Navi replied in a tired tone. "We should probably figure out some kind of route to take. I was looking through the girls' schedules earlier. I think we can get things knocked out fast if we go building by building. I also think we should talk to both Hremorson's and Affini's teachers."

"You think Affini was likely to be the actual target?" Link asked.

"At this point, it seems like Affini has something to fear," Navi said.

"How's the academy case treating you?" Wheatland said as he stepped up to Navi's desk.

"Well, we got the schedules, sir," Navi said. "But I doubt our shooter had the same information. The only reason we got them was because the academy's headmaster addressed the issue. No reports of a break-in, either."

"Just means the bastard probably followed them around to learn their routines the hard way," Wheatland said. He took in a sharp breath and crossed his arms. "That could be promising if any of the girls happen to remember being followed. Have you interviewed teachers yet?"

"We will today, sir. We were just discussing our approach."

"What about the girls you were going to interview? Did you get that out of the way?"

"Yes for one, no for the other, sir."

"Run out of daylight?"

Navi shook her head. "Her family's gone, sir. Probably left the city the night after the shooting."

Wheatland's eyebrows raised. "Really?"

"It's hard to say why, sir, other than they might have thought the same thing we did, that Bolton or Affini might have been the actual target. Lord Bolton asked if he should take his family out of the city last night."

"And you explained to him that the Watch can't protect him out there," Wheatland reasoned.

"Not in a cabin outside of even the local police patrol area, sir. I hope he stays put, but…" She trailed off with a shrug.

"What about the other family?" Wheatland asked. "Are you going to send Travel after them?"

Navi sighed and rubbed her brow. "Sir, I don't have a lot of confidence in Travel finding the Affinis, so I would rather not send them. They're only any good if they know where they're going, and we don't really have a clue where Affini went. But we know that there is still someone minding their house in the Castlefoot District. Constable Fieldview left a note under the front door, so, with any luck, they should contact us in the next few days."

"Could you tell who was still there?" Wheatland asked.

"No, sir," Link answered. "I just saw the curtain's moving; I didn't see any faces."

"Even if it's just a member of their house staff," Navi said, "if they at least know how to contact the Affinis wherever they went, we might have a shot."

"Yeah, I suppose that's about the best you've got to work with," Wheatland admitted. "I don't think I've ever known a House to rabbit like that, but I suppose there's a first time for everything."

"I'm hoping some contact will give us suspects, sir," Navi said. "Without them, we'll have to call this case cold."

"Boss?" Link spoke up. Wheatland glanced at him to see him looking at the door into the squad room.

Wheatland turned as a young woman wearing a constable's uniform stepped up to his desk. "Superintendent, we have a call on the line for your division," she said. "They say it's urgent."

"Okay, I'll be right there," Wheatland told her. He turned back to Navi. "I'll get a ride arranged while I'm out there."

"Thank you, sir," Navi said. Wheatland nodded and turned to follow the constable out of the room. She sighed and turned to Link. "Any thoughts to share, Constable?"

"I don't expect lunch today, either," was Link's reply.

Navi gave him a disappointed look and crossed her arms. "It's the normal amount of legwork, Constable," she told him. "This division requires some effort." This comment was followed by a moment of silence since their conversation did not lead anywhere. A thought occurred to Navi, so she asked Link, "Have you heard anything from Layla?"

"It's only been two days," Link pointed out. "She has to get the information from people in a different district. Probably give it another day, if anything. And if these Houses are some of the good ones, we'll probably end up with nothing, just like Merrill."

"Hremorson and Bolton seem to be decent Houses as far as we've seen," Navi said. "Affini, though… It isn't right to jump to the conclusion that they have some dirt in their history, but the fact that they fled almost directly after Fiametta's death certainly looks suspicious. Don't forget; we still have Gord and Highland to interview. If there's time after speaking with teachers, we might visit them at their homes."

They both fell silent for a bit, having already rehashed their meager collection of facts in those few statements. Navi looked over some overdue paperwork while Link contemplated what kind of questions they should be asking.

Wheatland returned to the office a few minutes later. "Okay, DS Navi, Constable Fieldview," he said. Both officers raised their heads in response. Wheatland then hesitated for a moment and shook his head. "That was Mister Hobbler at the coroner's office. Uh… you… may want to get over there."

Navi shared a confused look (capped by her hair turning purple) with Link before asking Wheatland, "Is something wrong, sir?"

"Well, that's the thing," Wheatland said. "Hobbler… couldn't really say. From what I understood, Justine's got herself whipped up into a frenzy. Again. She's been babbling incoherently for a while now; Hobbler called just after learning whose autopsy she was working on. It's apparently from one of your cases."

"We only had Fiametta Hremorson's body waiting to be autopsied, sir," Navi said.

Wheatland shrugged. "She didn't say which case," he told her. "She sounded like she lost her mind; I could hear her cackling in the background. The only reason Hobbler knew whose case it was is because she wouldn't stop chanting 'Navi' while she ranted."

Link and Navi shared a look again. "Do you think she found something on the Merrill case?" Link asked.

"Not likely," Navi replied. "Merrill's body would've been released by now. I don't know when she would've found time for more research outside of her schedule; once a body's gone through that office, the coroner's work is generally done."

"Well, you two ought to get over there," Wheatland told them. "Hobbler sounded like he was ready to shit himself. I have your transportation ready."

Navi sighed and stood up. "Come on, Constable," she told Link. "Let's go save Teun."

…

The hour and a half ride to the Ice District only turned up the anticipation. This was an aspect that Navi was more familiar with. Justine had a bad habit of turning into a jumbling mess of sounds and syllables whenever something had her excited or confused. Teun knew about this, but it still worried him because Justine often came across as being five seconds away from becoming a broken lunatic. Working at the coroner's office probably did not help; he had once confessed to Navi (and maybe half of the Homicide division by now) that he occasionally had nightmares about what the medical examiners were doing behind those doors. And Justine was often the one attending to his nightmares.

When the two walked into the morgue, Teun jumped. Then he heaved a relieved sigh. "Oh, good…" he said.

"Don't tell me she's still lost her mind," Navi said.

"No, no," Teun replied. "She's-she's back to… well, her usual form of normal."

"I would think you're used to this by now, Teun," Navi said. "You've been working here for, what, five years?"

"You would think so. But you guys only get to see her when she's calmed down. When she's worked up… I mean, it's like I'm negotiating with a Bokoblin not to eat me."

"She tell you which case she was workin' on?" Link asked.

Teun shook his head. "All I could get out of her was 'Navi', 'body', and 'brain in a jar'," he said. "It's things like that last one that scare the hell out of me."

"'Brain in a jar'?" Navi asked. She glanced at Link and said, "Maybe you were right; maybe she was looking at Merrill again."

"Who knows?" Teun said. "All I know is I can't stand my boss walking out here covered in blood and a scalpel in one hand. I'm twenty-six; she's going to give me a heart attack before I make it to thirty."

"We sure it wasn't her own brain she put in a jar?" Link joked. Teun shrugged.

Navi sighed. "I'm sure somebody did it for her years ago," she said. "Let's go see what she has."

"I'm sure most people recognize it as rabies," Teun said as they walked past. Then he immediately clapped his jaw shut as the door to the back opened in front of them. Another examiner, an older, taller man, uttered a sound upon seeing Link and Navi and quickly shifted position to hold the door for them. Both officers nodded at the examiner as they passed through.

When they stepped into Justine's room, Justine, in the middle of looking closely at something on her exam table, stood upright. "Oh, hey, Navi," she greeted.

"Justine, you have to stop scaring Teun whenever you get excited," Navi told her in the tone of a mother exasperated with a child's bad habits. "You're going to give him a heart attack."

"Well, at least he won't have to travel far for his autopsy," Justine replied with a grin.

However, Navi shook her head. "That's exactly what he's afraid of."

Justine sighed and said, "I know, I know. C'mon, are you here to chew me out, or do you want to see what I found?" She beckoned them with a hand.

"I wish you'd at least give us something over the phone," Navi said as she strode forward with Link in tow. Once next to the head of the table, she glanced down at the faded brown skin of Justine's current subject. "Fiametta Hremorson," she said. "I suppose her name is a bit of a mouthful when you're in one of your moods."

"You mean there's something goin' on with her?" Link spoke up.

"Yeah, but it's nothing new for you two," Justine answered as she pulled down the sheet covering Fiametta's chest. Link tightened every muscle in his body to brace himself for the oncoming scene of gore.

"She's empty, too."

Both Watch officers' faces blanked, Navi's hair turning grey. They looked down to see that, just like Yoanna Merrill's body, the interior of Fiametta Hremorson's chest was completely empty of organs, giving them the sight of the dried, pink tissues that composed her back.

"That…" Navi tried to say only to be stymied by the sight before her.

Link's eyes shifted between Fiametta's corpse and Justine for a few moments. He finally asked, "Just like Merrill's body?"

Justine nodded and indicated Fiametta's head. "I finished my examination while I was waiting for you," she said. "Brain, lungs, intestines, bladder, lady parts… all missing. What's there is in an advanced state of atrophy just like Miss Merrill." She reached to her side and picked up the section of rib cage she had removed. She pushed her pinky through the back of a hole and said, "Almost the exact same bullet wound in her chest. Right where her heart would have been. This is another first; I've never had two corpses with the same, fatal wound. Whoever your shooter is, he's scarily consistent so far."

"I'd argue with you about this not being the same shooter, but…" Link said. He gestured at the corpse. "We don't have any other explanation."

"This just can't be," Navi finally said. "There just doesn't seem to be anything to connect these two girls."

"Well, there is now," Justine said.

Navi turned and marched out of the room, her exit a mild alarm to Justine and Link. "Oh, boy…" Link uttered.

"Is she okay?" Justine asked him.

Link sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Probably not," he admitted. "This girl's family's close to the family that sponsored us into the Watch. She's takin' this personally. We were hopin' to catch whoever did this; he effectively ended a House killin' this girl."

"Oh, no…"

Link nodded. "Yeah, it's been that kind of 'oh, no'. You see Hremorson here. We never caught the guy who killed Merrill, and we're out of suspects for her murder. This just… kinda rubs things in."

"Well, you've got a copy of a murder," Justine pointed out. "Can you investigate that?"

Link shrugged and said, "The modus operandi helps, but it won't guarantee anything."

"Well, judging from their clothes, both girls were from noble families but they don't seem to be that wealthy. Right?"

Link pondered the thought with a disappointed look. "Yeah, I suppose," he said. "But we don't know why this is happening. Even if our killer is targeting girls from lesser Houses, it doesn't really explain anything."

"Well, you said killing this girl ended a House. What about the other girl?"

Link shook his head. "Merrill had a little brother. But…" He stopped and thought for a moment. Then he heaved a sigh. "We're gonna have to warn them; their son might be in danger if that's the killer's aim."

Justine nodded at the door. "Think she's okay?"

"I'll go talk to her," Link said. "Anything else?"

Justine shook her head. "No, that was all I had," she said. "But, with this, I'll do some more research when I have the chance, see if there is something I missed."

Link gestured at the body and asked, "Is there any way you can hold onto her body for a little longer? Give you a little more time to examine her more thoroughly?"

"Sorry, Constable, but coroners have to return a body within a week of performing an autopsy. Besides…" She waved her hand over the body. "… I don't think there's anything else to discover from her. She's reasonably clean, and she doesn't have any marks to indicate any suspicious injuries before or after the fact."

Link sighed and contemplated the body. "Well, when you're done… do you think you can release her to her family as soon as you can? Her… her dad already has her casket made and ready. It's probably gonna be the best we can do for her parents."

"Yeah, I'll see what I can do," Justine said.

"Okay, thanks." Link gave the metal table a careful tap before leaving the room.

He had expected to find Navi just outside the door, but the hallway was empty. After a quick glance, he turned and stepped back into the lobby. Teun stood up. "Hey, is everything all right?" he asked Link.

"Probably not," Link answered as his eyes swept the lobby. "Did DS Navi come through here?"

"Yeah, she went out the door," Teun said as he pointed.

"Thanks," Link said before marching to the door.

Outside, he found Constable White pondering the open door of their wagon from her seat at the front. Link could not blame her; it was not often one found a higher-ranking officer sitting in the doorway. She looked up at Link and asked, "Something happen?"

"Just a bit of bad news," Link said. He stepped up to the wagon.

Navi was sitting with one foot pressed into the bottom corner of the doorway, her other foot resting on the curb. This let her rest an elbow on her knee, and she propped her forehead against her fist and gave the sidewalk a look of frustrated contemplation. Her hair flickered between maroon and bright blue as if it could not make up its mind. She tilted her head to glance up at Link.

"We're not done yet," Link told her.

Navi sighed and shook her head. "I know," she replied as her hair finally settled on blue. "But this has just gotten worse."

"Maybe," Link admitted with a casual tone. "Maybe not." Navi looked up at him again. "Justine pointed out that, with Fiametta's organs missing, we have a connection between her and Yoanna Merrill. It's a lot more to work with. We find more connections, we start finding suspects. We should also probably warn Lord Merrill."

"Warn Lord Merrill?" Navi repeated.

"So far, that's two noble children killed. Hremorson's House is done for. If the motive is to destroy Houses like that, House Merrill should be warned as soon as possible; their son's life could be in danger."

"Yes, but… what is the reason for this? And are any other Houses in danger?"

Link shrugged and said, "Who knows? But we do know that both Hremorson and Merrill might be in trouble. We need to talk to them fast."

Navi contemplated the doorframe in front of her. Then she set her other foot on the ground and stood up. "I will go to House Hremorson and speak to the lord," she told Link. "I can't be sure, but I wonder if there is something he knows that his wife might not. I want you to go find Layla in the East District. Tell her we need to find connections between Hremorson and Merrill. And, if she happens to know, we need to find out where the Affinis are."

"Why them?" Link asked.

"In case they know something, too. As soon as we can locate where they went, we'll contact Travel to find them."

"Should I stop by House Merrill, too?"

Navi shook her head. "We should both be there. You're still a constable, not even a detective yet; you shouldn't even be contacting Layla, but… well, I can't help you ducking out to see your girlfriend."

Link grinned at her hair turning pink. He did not know what emotion it corresponded with, especially since her face was very neutral. "Well, what can you do?" he said as he gave an exaggerated shrug.

Then both turned to look up at White, who was still watching them from her seat. She sighed and shook her head. "I work with weirdos…" she commented under her breath as she turned to take up the reins.

…

Navi stepped out of the wagon and immediately walked up to the side. "Constable White?" she asked, prompting the young woman to look over the side at her. "You are to go directly to Stable Road. Constable Fieldview does not need to stop for lunch."

Link poked his head out of the wagon. "Aw, c'mon…" he groaned. "What if I have to chase her?"

"I have a feeling that your hormones will help with that," she told him over her shoulder.

Link opened his mouth for a rebuttal. Then he shrugged and said, "Nah, you're probably right."

"Uh, yes, ma'am," was White's best response, confused by the exchange.

Link closed the door and opened the window under White's seat. "Okay, let's get going," he told White. "The sooner I find Layla, the sooner I can eat." White shook her head and gave the reins a light snap to urge the horse forward.

Navi turned and walked the short path from the gate to the front door. She gave the black banner over the windows flanking the door a hesitant look before giving the door a knock. She had to wait a few minutes, an understandable response from a family in mourning.

When the door opened, she recognized the maid Mabel peering outside. The woman also remembered Navi's face and opened the door a little more. "Detective," she greeted. "Is there something we can help you with?"

"I need to speak with Sir Hremorson," Navi replied. "I know this isn't the time, but it's urgent. It's about his daughter's case."

Mabel looked back inside the house for a moment. Then she told Navi, "Let me speak with my lord for a moment." Navi nodded, and Mabel closed the door. She waited for a few minutes, which gave her a little time to contemplate what she wanted to ask Sir Hremorson. Mabel opened the door again and told Navi, "You may enter, Detective."

Navi stepped inside, and Mabel took her into the sitting room to the left of the entryway. Sir and Lady Hremorson were seated together on a sofa, drinks set next to a framed pictograph of Fiametta on the coffee table before them. Afra was dressed in a drab gown, carefully dabbing tears from her eyes. Sir Hremorson, his beard trimmed since Navi had seen him two days ago, wore a black Inverness cape over a grey tunic and black slacks. Upon Navi stepping into the room, he stood up and slowly slid the cape off his shoulders.

"I'm… sorry I interrupted your mourning, My Lord," Navi said. "I was hoping to discuss something important with you."

Sir Hremorson eyed Navi for a moment. Then he tossed the cape over the back of the sofa. "What does Reba's beneficiary want to know?" he asked. Navi took in a deep breath and maintained her calm expression. However, the lord saw her hair turn grey. "No need to be surprised, Detective Navi; Reba told me about you a long time ago. I just wish we weren't meeting because of this."

Navi nodded as her hair darkened again. "I am sorry for your loss, My Lord."

Sir Hremorson shook his head. "My name's Kyle," he told Navi. "I don't feel much like a 'lord' right now. Just a man."

"Understood."

"What is it you wanted to know?"

"Well, I wanted to ask if you were familiar with House Merrill."

The lord frowned. "House… Merrill?" He shook his head. "The name sounds familiar, but I can't put a face to it."

"My Lord?" Mabel spoke up from Navi's side. "I believe that is the name on the gloves you prefer using."

Kyle Hremorson raised an eyebrow. "Really?" he asked.

"It seems so," Navi said. "Lord Merrill owns a clothing business. He manufactures work clothing."

Kyle nodded. "And a fine craft, as far as gloves are concerned," he said. "I never used another brand since my staff brought me a pair. But I don't think I've met the man himself."

"Is House Merrill somehow involved in our daughter's death?" Afra Hremorson asked.

"Maybe, but not in any sinister way," Navi replied. "Merrill's daughter Yoanna was shot and killed on the streets about a week ago. The… circumstances and her manner of death look similar to Fiametta's death."

Afra Hremorson sat up straighter, her surprise plain on her face. Kyle Hremorson took in a deep breath in an attempt to hide part of the shock on his face. "Are… are you suggesting that our daughter is part of some kind of murder plot?" he asked.

"I cannot say for sure," Navi said. "I was hoping to ask you about… any connection your daughter might have had with Yoanna Merrill."

Sir Hremorson turned to his wife. "Afra, does that…?"

Afra frowned as she thought. Then she shook her head. "I don't recall the name," she told Navi. "Fiametta had always kept the same group of friends. Jessica, Pris, Sarita, and Catrina. They've been inseparable. Until now."

"But she never made any new friends?" Navi asked.

"Perhaps at school," Afra said, "but she never brought any of them here. I don't recall her mentioning anyone named 'Yoanna'. Was she the same year as Fiametta?"

Navi pulled back one corner of her mouth in a disappointed frown. "Maybe," she said. "They appeared to be about the same age. I think Miss Merrill might have been a little older."

"I don't understand," Sir Hremorson said. "What could possibly be the reason for this?"

Navi shook her head. "I'm sorry, but we can't be certain," she answered. "Our original thought was that this was some kind of intimidation tactic. Or maybe a feud. But it appears that neither of you have any sort of rivals to be concerned about. And because Merrill's murder took place in the East District while her home is in the Adages, it doesn't appear to have simply been a crime of opportunity. It appears that both of your daughters were intentionally targeted."

"Is it possible that… someone… might be eliminating the lesser Houses?" Sir Hremorson asked. "I'm well aware that this House isn't particularly popular or wealthy; no knight's House is, much less one that grew out of a carpenter's family."

Navi sighed and gave it some thought. "I'm not sure," she admitted. "It's true that House Merrill is not a particularly wealthy House, either, but the idea of someone trying to eliminate Houses like that doesn't make sense, either. The Merrills have a five-year-old son. But it isn't as if we haven't considered the possibility. We will be speaking with Lord Merrill about this as soon as we have the chance."

"I hope you will pass along our condolences to their family as well," Afra Hremorson said.