Chapter Thirty-Three: The Noble Butler

…

House Highland had listed their address as being in the Telma District. As they approached, Link noticed that the property was almost on the edge of different residential areas, one clearly boasting noble Houses with large swaths of property distanced from the Factory District (despite that still being some distance away) on one side of the street and the clustered, private properties of commoner homes, many of which lacked even a bit of yard space. House Highland was the only estate on their side of the road in a fenced-in property lacking immediate neighbors, a visibly confusing arrangement when compared to the dozen homes clustered together on the block just across the street. The lots on either side of the Highland property were completely covered in dying grass, an early sign of the impeding winter only about a month away. It reminded Link that he needed to see about getting a heater for his apartment.

The property had a side driveway closed off by a gate. Instead of waiting for someone to notice the Watch carriage loitering outside, White brought the carriage to a halt before of the smaller front gate. Link and Navi noticed that the gate had been left open as they stepped out of the carriage. Navi held a hand in front of Link and examined the house from the gate.

"Constable, cover me."

Link could feel his body tense up at the order. He took quick stock of the front of the house. Five large windows on the lower floor plus a pair of frosted glass windows flanking the door and four windows on the upper floor. Only two windows on the bottom floor were uncovered while the rest were covered by curtains. There were no signs of life in the yard, which was immaculate with no hint of dead grass and the short hedges underneath each window trimmed to look almost like clouds.

Still.

The front gate being left open was a suspicious sign. The front door did not appear to be damaged in any way. If there was an intruder on the property, they might have found a back entrance. Link stepped forward to block Navi in spite of her being half a head taller than him. Part of his job now was to be a meat shield; behind him, Navi was turned so that it was not obvious that she had drawn her service gun behind his back. At the same time, Link unbuttoned the clasp holding his revolver in its holster and rested his palm against the grip. It was a quick-draw position, one which would allow Link to rip the gun out at a moment's notice without making it seem like he was ready to pull.

Navi gripped the collar on the back of his uniform jacket. "Ready," she told him.

Link had always known that this kind of situation was always a possibility when he joined the Watch. He had even had the experience of being shot at during a patrol while he was still on probation in the East District. It still made him cringe to knowingly walk into a suspicious situation with no knowledge of whether someone they were about to make contact with had a firearm or not. Realistically, it was not very likely; the average resident of Hyrulia barely saw a gun in their lifetime, much less handled one. However, in a city as heavily populated as Hyrulia, the odds of a shooting were much higher than what Link would have encountered in the whole of Ordon Province, which was why the East District was easily a dangerous area. The average burglar or pickpocket could barely afford to buy a gun, but Link was well aware that there were always exceptions.

Link advanced while Navi kept him at arm's length in front of her, cautious about the open windows as they approached the front door. Once Link was close enough, he could see that the door was intact. He angled his head a bit to see if he could spot anyone inside through the frosted glass. He was in a poor position if someone had a gun on the inside; the frosted glass meant that a shooter could see him not standing in front of the door, but since the door had been built into an alcove, he would not be able to reach the door if they hid around the corner.

He gave the door a few solid knocks with the bottom of his fist. "City Watch!" he hollered, his voice a little deeper for a more authoritative tone. He listened carefully; the last time he had done this, the person inside had decided to bolt out the front door and slammed him in the face with it. He thought he could hear muffled voices inside, but it was hard to tell. He delivered two more knocks. "City Watch!"

The door latch clacked, and Link immediately backed away, eyes trained on the opening. The person opening it pulled it wide as if normal. Link and Navi met the confused face of a young man perhaps only a few years older than Link. Most noticeable about him was a pair of cloth scraps stuffed into his nostrils, originally white but now stained bright red in order to hold back what must have been an outstanding nosebleed. The young man's black hair was slicked back and, other than the cloth in his nose, looked quite proper in a dress shirt underneath a fine-tailored waistcoat and slacks suited to his tall, slender frame.

His voice came out awkward as he tried to ask through the cloth, "Ca' I help you, officers?"

"City Watch, sir," Link said, turning his hip so he could hide that he was buttoning his holster. "This is the Highland residence, right?"

"Correct, sir," the young man said.

"Is Lord Highland home?" Navi asked, having put away her pistol.

"He is, 'adam," the young man answered.

"We would like to speak with him," Navi said.

The young man heaved a sigh as if the thought of the Watch officers speaking to his master was a bother to him. He stepped aside as he held the door open and beckoned them inside with his free hand. "If you will follow 'e, Lord Highla'd is i' the sittin' room," he told them.

Link and Navi stepped into a narrow entry hall, their shoes clapping against the polished marble floor. The young man shut the door and started toward the main hall without a word. The main hall was an atrium capped by windows arranged in a rounded ceiling, casting the late morning light over the spiral staircase leading up to the second-floor mezzanine. The young man turned left into a smaller hallway and brought them to a room near the back of the house. This room had three couches centered around a low table in the middle of the room, bookshelves lining most of the walls, and a work desk to the right from where they had entered.

"My Lord, officers of the Watch are here to speak with you," the young man said.

That was when Link and Navi realized that someone was seated on the couch with his back to them. Lord Highland stood and turned to show a billiard pipe in his hand. The man himself was tall, slender, and had a hawkish face. He had been dressed in a grey smoking jacket, and Link and Navi had the impression that they had just interrupted his leisure time.

However, he waved the match in his hand to extinguish it rather than light the pipe. "Ah, the City Watch of Hyrule," he said. "I was wondering when you might be getting around to us."

"You were expecting us, My Lord?" Navi asked.

"Well, given the highlight of the week is the shooting death of young Lady Hremorson, it only seems reasonable you've come to call on her friends," Lord Highland replied with a grin. He shrugged. "Am I wrong?"

"No, My Lord, you are correct," Navi said.

Lord Highland nodded. He then tilted so as to address the young man standing at the doorway, "Leandro, please let Sarita know that the Watch is here to speak with her."

"Yes, My Lord." Link glanced over his shoulder, confused by the young man's hurried tone, but Leandro was already gone.

"We would also like to speak with your son," Navi told Lord Highland.

"Oh?" the lord responded, raising an eyebrow.

"As we understand, he was involved in an altercation with Miss Hremorson two months prior," Navi continued. "A very public altercation."

"At the bank," Lord Highland replied. He nodded and turned to replace his pipe in the smoking box on the table nearby. "Very commendable, officer. I suppose there wasn't much reason for Lord Hremorson to forget the event." He closed the box with an audible clack, stood up straight, and heaved a sigh as he turned back to them. "I know you have a job to do, officers. But I would at least like to put forward that I do not believe my son was responsible for killing the young Lady Hremorson."

"I am sure he has your support, My Lord," Navi said. "But I'm afraid we do need to speak with him, if you would send for him."

Lord Highland indicated one of the smaller sofas to his right with an inviting sweep of his hand. "He will return with his sister," he said as Link and Navi moved.

Link froze as he was about to round the back of the large sofa, and Navi stopped in her tracks ahead of him half a second later. Both turned to him, but Link was the one to ask first, "Wait, was that your son, My Lord?"

Lord Highland chuckled before answering, "Yes, that young mess of a butler is my son Leandro."

Navi shared a look with Link before asking, "My Lord… please forgive the indignity, but what happened to his face?"

Lord Highland gave a short laugh and shook his head as he sat, which prompted Link and Navi to sit in the couch they had been offered. "His sister," he said. "If the young Lady Hremorson could be judged as the leader for striking others, my Sarita is easily number two. It's… natural to her. Growing up with an older brother causes that; my own little sister often took to punching me when she was annoyed. Uh… not that she often felt the need to punch my nose."

"Did either of them explain why he was punched, My Lord?" Navi asked.

"Well, to be frank, uh, Officer…?" Highland trailed off as he used a hand to prompt Navi.

"Detective Sergeant Navi of the Watch, My Lord." Navi then gestured and added, "This is my partner, Constable Fieldview."

Lord Highland nodded. "To be frank, Detective, my son has a big mouth. Any larger, and these young ladies would probably be aiming for his teeth instead of his nose." Link held up a hand to hide the grin forming on his face. It was not particularly subtle, and Lord Highland shot him an amused smile.

"I assume this is the same reason Miss Hremorson punched him at the bank," Navi said.

"Similar," Lord Highland said with a nod. "You see, between being of a noble House and being the older of a pair of children, my son has decided that such a position comes with a greater degree of freedom with his speech. I've cautioned him about it a few times, but it appears that he will have to learn the hard way."

"What did he say?" Navi asked, her tone ready to take offense at any answer.

"That it was a matter of time before someone shot Fia and that she had it coming." Navi and Link looked up to see Sarita and Leandro stride into the room. Sarita appeared to have been readying herself for a horse ride, dressed in a pale green, button-up, long-sleeve top and white breeches. Her black hair was pulled back into a tight bun. Even with her arms crossed to complement the irritated look on her face, they could see a pair of gloves in her hand. While Leandro took up a position behind his father, Sarita stood behind the wing chair opposite the two Watch officers.

Navi and Link both put on confounded looks. Navi then asked Leandro, "And you told her this to her face?"

Leandro, with his arms folded behind his back and his nose pointed at the small chandelier hanging in the middle of the room, answered in a stiff voice, "Yes, 'adam."

"No wonder…" Link commented under his breath.

"What about the incident at the bank?" Navi asked, her voice further concealing Link's reaction.

"That was one I shall not repeat in front of others," Sarita said, giving her brother an angry glare. "Suffice it to say that Fia would have been within her rights to have aimed lower." Her emphasis on the last word caused Leandro, while maintaining a stoic demeanor, to audibly swallow and bend slightly as if to defend his pelvis.

"I understand that you were purchasing a horse from Lord Hremorson," Navi said to Lord Highland. "Did you conclude the arrangement?"

"Are you kidding?" Lord Highland asked in return. "Once the young ladies told me what Leandro said, I…" He paused to consider his words. "I was ready to make Sarita an only child."

"So, the sale was canceled," Navi concluded.

"The sale is pending," Lord Highland replied. "Two days later, I paid Lord Hremorson five hundred Rupees to hold the horse for me while my son undergoes discipline." He paused to shoot a glare over his shoulder. "Needless to say, his punishment has reached an indefinite length." He heaved a sigh and told Navi, "Given young Lady Hremorson's passing, I am inclined to cancel and allow him to sell the horse at his convenience."

"I am sure Lord Hremorson would appreciate the gesture, My Lord," Navi told him. Then she looked up and addressed Leandro, "It must have made you angry that Miss Hremorson cost you a horse."

A glare formed on Leandro's face. "Yes, 'adam," he told the chandelier.

"Would you have been angry enough to want to see her dead?" Navi asked.

Leandro hesitated. "Ndo, 'adam," he said.

"Really? You don't seem like you would have shed a tear for her."

"Oh, he shed tears all right," Sarita said. "When I punched him."

"Tell me, My Lord: does your son have any experience with rifles?" Navi asked.

Lord Highland shook his head. "Leandro has taken up the sword; firearms are beyond his interests."

"Something else he should be grateful to Fia for," Sarita added as she gave Leandro another glare.

"What kind of funds does your son have available?" Navi asked.

"None," Lord Highland answered with a pointed tone. "My son has been unable to touch a single coin since the incident at the bank. He must take a lunch provided by the staff to school, and he does not leave the house while he is being punished."

"What is the nature of your son's punishment, My Lord?" Navi asked.

"Well, seeing as this started with him disrespecting two Houses and speaking like a ditch slave, I determined that he should be treated as one. No privileges, no pay, all work. He serves me personally, answers my requests, goes where I go… and sleeps in the servants' quarters in back. I instructed my staff to give him the smallest room and the oldest bed. Every morning, he wakes up before me, and every night, he goes to bed once the chores are done. And my staff will inform me if he sets foot out of his boundaries."

Navi and Link regarded the young man for a moment. Then Navi asked, "So, it is not very likely that he had hired anyone to kill Miss Hremorson?"

"Leandro?" Leandro stiffened at his father saying his name. "Please answer the detective. And mind you that you have already ruined your leeway with the truth."

Leandro sighed and shook his head. "Eve' if I had the 'i'd to, Detective—which I do't—I would't eve' ndow where to go to hire a killer," he told Navi. "'Y… colleagues at school are probably about as igdora't. I'll ad'it… they act like mbe. All talk."

"I don't mind telling you that my son is a coward," Lord Highland said. "The past two months have made that quite clear. Young Lady Hremorson started an avalanche of misfortune that he is having to atone for. Although he is loath to admit it, being publicly humiliated has probably brought about some perspective on his life. With any luck, his sister's most recent infliction of discipline will be his last."

"I would hope so, My Lord," Link spoke up.

Lord Highland raised an eyebrow at Link. "Officer?" he asked.

"Well, gettin' punched in the nose is kinda dangerous, My Lord," Link pointed out, receiving a curious glance from Navi. "If someone does it at the wrong angle or hits him too hard, a bone in his nose could get shoved upward into his brain and kill 'im." He had turned his head to the side and gestured in order to illustrate.

Leandro's arms fell to his sides, and Sarita's sour expression turned to shock. Lord Highland, however, looked thoughtful. "A frightening insight, Officer," he told Link. "While the young Lady Hremorson is deceased and I might persuade my Sarita to stop aiming there, it would seem that my Leandro would do better to not offend any other women lest he meets another who would target his face."

"Are-are you serious?" Leandro stuttered, now facing Link.

Link put on a grin and shrugged. "We work Homicide," he answered. Navi frowned at him, her hair shifting to green for a moment.

"Mind your place, Leandro," Lord Highland told his son with gentle admonishment. Leandro quickly snapped back into a standby pose, although he had sweat glistening on his forehead. "Officer Fieldview, was it? I extend my thanks for your wisdom. It is not every day that we receive such reminders of the frailty of life."

"Just wanted to make sure we got one less homicide to work, My Lord," Link answered with a sober expression.

"My family shall endeavor to keep your work light," Highland replied with an amused grin. "Is there anything else you wish to know?"

"We have asked similar questions to others, so we might as well ask you, My Lord," Navi spoke up. "So far, we have yet to establish whether Miss Hremorson was the intended target. We have already questioned Lords Hremorson and Bolton. House Affini, for reasons we have yet to understand, has left their home in Hyrulia. It isn't as likely that Miss Sarita here was the intended victim, but I would like to ask if you have had any threats made against you or your family recently."

Lord Highland looked up as he pondered the question. "I cannot think of anyone with an interest to hurt this House," he answered. "A young man driving a wagon cursed my driver recently, but I doubt a mix-up in traffic would call for my daughter to be harmed."

"Have you had any business partners become… upset with you?" Navi asked.

"Perhaps some hurt feelings when I was forced to dismiss some of my plantation workers last month," Lord Highland said with a shrug. "I sold part of my farmland to someone else last year, and harvest this year was not particularly bountiful. I have asked my field manager to try to keep contact with them should things improve next year."

Navi pondered the information before looking up at Sarita. "Miss Sarita," she said, "has anyone approached you about doing harm to you or your family?"

"Believe me, I'd tell you if I knew," Sarita replied. "I've kept my father informed of dealings at school."

"I have noted to the school that a few of Sarita's accosters have a class with her and the young Lady Bolton," Lord Highland spoke up. "I was subsequently informed that, unless hostilities break out in the classroom, the school has no reason to take action."

"They won't do a thing," Sarita said. "All those two do is sit on the other side of class and glare. They already know what happens if they start in on me or Pris. Especially Pris."

Navi paused as she wondered how much she knew about Priscilla. Then she asked, "Have you noticed anyone unfamiliar lingering around your group? Perhaps asking questions?"

"No, Detective," Sarita said with a shake of her head.

"And, Mister Leandro?" Navi asked. "Given your… behavior, have you encountered anyone that has threatened to harm you or your family?"

Leandro heaved a sigh. "Ndo, 'adam," he answered.

"Have you noticed anyone suspicious around the house or school?" Navi continued. "Anyone expressing unusual interest in you or your family?"

Leandro gave a slight shake of his head. "Ndo, 'adam, ndothin' uhnusual," he replied.

Navi sighed. Then she stood up, prompting Link to do the same. "Thank you for your time, My Lord," she said as Lord Highland rose from his seat. "We will contact you if we have any further questions."

"If I may, Detective," Lord Highland said, raising a hand as if to stop them.

"My Lord?"

"Given the nature of these questions, I cannot help but ask. You seem to think that the killer was targeting the young Lady Hremorson because of her confrontations with others at the school. In your professional opinion, do you believe that my daughter and her remaining friends might be in danger?"

Navi let out a heavy breath through her nose and glanced at Link. Then she said, "My Lord, until we can establish a motive for Miss Hremorson's death, I cannot give you an answer. The best I can say is that you may want to take precautions to protect your family."

"I see. Leandro, would you see the officers to the front door?"

"Yes, My Lord," Leandro replied. He then turned to Link and Navi and indicated the door with a hand. "Detectives?"

Leandro led them back to the front of the house, opened the door for them, and then closed it once they had stepped outside. Both of them pondered the front door for a moment before starting up the path back to the street.

"Did you mention that whole thing about punching the nose being fatal just to scare him?" Navi asked about three steps away from the house.

"Yeah," Link replied. "Scare 'im outta bein' such a big mouth before we have to look at him in the coroner's office next. I was bein' serious."

Navi shook her head. "I have never heard of a Hylian being killed by receiving a punch to the nose."

"Me, neither, but I have a reason to believe it."

Navi gave him a side glance and asked, "You do?"

"Three… four years ago, maybe? One of my friends was with his dad helpin' build a house. One of the guys he was helpin' was swinging around a board like it was a sword. He smacked another guy in the face on a heavy backswing. The board broke his nose and shoved the bone up through his sinuses and into his brain. Killed 'im on the spot. Needless to say, my friend never set foot in that house again."

Navi contemplated him for a moment. "You really believe it happened that way?"

"Not at first. I went through the library tryin' to disprove it. I had three other cases tellin' me it can actually happen that way. A person's fist can just as easily break a nose the same way, so there's no reason to think someone might kill him doin' it."

Navi sighed just as they stepped outside the gate. "I suppose the countryside offers insights that the city takes for granted," she told him. Then she knocked on the side of the carriage.

"Wah!" White hollered as she startled to life, having dozed off under the early afternoon sun. She straightened herself up and peered over the side. "Sorry, Detective."

"What do you think, Constable?" Navi asked Link as if White was not talking to her. "Do you believe him?"

Link gave a half-grin. "Mara always said the best way to deal with a bully was to bop 'im on the nose," he replied. He crossed his arms and looked back at the house. "He doesn't seem like he had the time or the money to arrange things. I mean, sure, his dad might not know if he's got his own funds to do what he wants, but I think he just doesn't have the brains to arrange a shooting. Especially with someone so good at it; that'd be an expensive hire and probably something his dad would notice."

Navi had nodded as Link spoke and waited for him to finish before saying, "I had the same impression. If he had done it, I suspect he would've been stupid enough to brag about it. That sister of his doesn't seem like the kind that wouldn't turn him in for it."

"And, with that, our suspect pool is back down to zero…"

Navi shook her head. "Layla had us on a wild goose chase. I'm sure she meant well, but I think we set our hopes a little too high."

"Well, that explains this overwhelmin' feeling of failure…" Link sighed. "So, what now? Check out Gord?"

"I left her schedule back at the office, so we don't have her address. We'll have to go back to headquarters."