The Culprit Is… You!

Shanna, for the second time this morning, splashed cold water across her face from the kitchen basin.

It hadn't been pleasant. It was never pleasant, really. But some days it was the only way to kick start her mind anew. As she wiped her face down with a towel she looked through the hutch in the kitchen towards Rondy, who sat pensively on the living room's sofa.

"Are you going to come?" She called to him.
He remained as he was, deep in thought and with a hand rested on his chin.

At the clearing of her throat, did his bleary eyes finally come to rest on hers.
"S-sorry? What did you say?"

"Are you going to come too? To see Norri." She repeated.

"Ah, um. Yes… One second." He said with furrowed brows and a raised a finger. "Breakfast first."

He grabbed Norri's food, the dish he'd prepared for them yesterday evening and began eating at once.
Shanna hugged her arm despondently… Poor Norri. And poor Rondy as well.

Ever since they'd found Norri, he'd seemed elsewhere. Serious and deep in thought.

They must have really hit it off while Shanna was busy investigating elsewhere. She'd heard as much when Merridee had come to ask them questions last night.

"What was Norri doing in your neighbourhood?" Merridee had asked as she clopped around their shop, looking here and there. Shanna had never seen her eyes so sparkly and wide before.

"…When Shanna was out, Norri made a habit of coming by when he could. Bringing books, food, other things of that nature." Rondy said distractedly. "…He also informed me he was foraging for a nocturnal mushroom lately."

Merridee nodded her head eagerly. "I see, I see. So he bumped into the killer-"

"…Thief." Rondy and Shanna corrected.

"-after returning from a late night forage!" Merridee continued unabated. "It's all coming together…"

Afterwards, Merridee had performed her due diligence, looking about the place for clues or missing items. But as both Shanna and Rondy would confirm after looking themselves, nothing was missing. Perhaps they'd caught the thief off guard? Before they'd been able to take anything?

At Shanna's curiosity, Rondy had clarified to her that Norri always arrived daily in order to take the old potion book back. At least that meant the old relic was still safe at his place.

Merridee had left shortly thereafter, with a promise to catch the killer (thief) and update them as necessary. Despite her abundance of energy she hadn't instilled any confidence in the pair.

Shanna slipped her sandals on as she turned to face Rondy.

"Are you about finis…" But she found her question dying on her lips.

Rondy's body was lax on the sofa, head tilted gently to the side as he breathed peacefully in sleep. She looked at him sympathetically. It was about time.

While she had managed to fall asleep after Merridee had left, she knew he had not. Unable to sleep he had remained awake until daybreak.

She carefully excavated Norri's dish and cutlery from his limp hands as she took them to the kitchen to scrub clean.

Yesterday's dishes too, she supposed.

Only, they'd already been cleaned and put aside.
She looked back at Rondy's sleeping form. Had he… Had he really eaten all three dishes yesterday? And cleaned up after himself as well?

She looked skyward.
Or I guess the thief could have…?

She shrugged to herself, before covering him with a blanket and leaving the room.

"You get some good rest, Moonl-" She paused a moment, before gently shaking her head.
"…Sleep well, Rondy."

She exited the shop and made her way to the healer's house where Norri was recuperating.

She couldn't help but note the dismal expression in every face she passed. It was hard to think that the festival was tomorrow with such a cheerless atmosphere. In addition, it didn't feel solely the blame of the prince's pact expiring… No, it felt the natural consequence of everyone's deteriorating relationships.

She knocked delicately on the healer's house as Beckler, the healer in question, admitted her inside.

"I'm afraid my medicines hasn't been of much use…" The elderly kobold explained as he stroked his long beard.

"So Norri still hasn't awakened?" Shanna asked as she was guided to the room where Norri rested.

"…I am afraid not." He said softly.

Shanna followed him inside and saw Norri breathing peacefully in bed. He looked for all the world like he was just asleep… Belatedly she noticed Merridee in the room as well, parked in the corner of the room quizzically looking out the window.

As her eyes rested on Norri's sleeping form a question sprung to mind. "Did… Did the thief maybe hit Norri with something as they fled?"

"That is the assumption I've been working off." The old kobold said with a nod of his head. "There should be no reason as to why he continues to sleep after my treatments."

"Can I…" Shanna gathered her confidence before facing Beckler. "Can I try playing my lyre for him?"

He stared at her in the warm way only a grandparent can as he turned to face her. "Of course, my dear."

After a deep breath to psych herself up Shanna began to strum the little instrument, the resulting musical harmony filling the little room with its pleasant tune. As the magical particles gathered, a warm atmosphere seemed to hang about the room… But as for healing properties, Norri showed no indication either way.

Beckler pat her kindly on the shoulder. "Do not worry, child. He will get better under my watch. I swear it." Shanna nodded her head absently as the doctor left her to her thoughts, shutting the door behind him.

As Shanna sank into a stool sighing and somehow managing to sink even deeper, Merridee spun away from the window to face her. She clutched at something fiercely within her hand.

"If only we knew what afflicts Mr Nystell." She began. "…Then I'd be able to one hundred percent confirm my suspicions about his attacker through his testimony."

"But even so…" She continued, approaching Shanna's side.

"He didn't leave us with nothing at all."

Shanna looked down at Merridee's open palm.
The purple fabric scrap lay in her hand.

"…I know who the Midnight Picklock is." Merridee said boldly.

"R-Really?" Shanna said rising from the seat.
"Super really."

She placed an inquisitive hand upon her chin while the other arm supported it.

"Tell me all about your investigation…" She said. "Where you went, what you did, and who you saw. And then gather these select people to the square where I will humbly and boldly reveal the truth of it…!"


~ ~


Merridee stood in the center of the marketplace, seemingly the main attraction for pre-festival festivities. Or so the large crowd that gathered must have thought.

I did… not summon this many people for Merridee, Shanna thought eyeing the huge crowd who lounged about with tankards and snacks.

Underneath the fully decorated square banners and decorations flapped about in the pleasant breeze, as Shanna saw familiar faces dotted amongst the crowd.

There was Mayor Bunby dabbing away with his handkerchief, Laven and Yvessa side-by-side, Noelle who leaned against a shop idly inspecting her nails, and Brava, a hunched over shell of his former self.

Shanna held her breath as Merridee began to clear her throat, hooves clopping the cobblestones as she paced back and forth.

"Last night, a most evil crime took place…! An attempted theft on our town's best Alchemist, Mr Cantarello." She paused for emphasis before continuing as the crowd followed her with their eyes as she continued her trot.

"It was only thanks to the gallant efforts of Mr Cantarello and Miss Elusi that the alarm was raised so quickly and that the identity of the thief has now been ascertained."

Noelle's eyebrows shot up. "…What?"

"So it's real then?" Came a call from the crowd.

"Indoobibbly!" Merridee said coming to a halt as she pointed at the man who'd spoken from the crowd.

"…I-I think it's indubitably, my dear." Said Mayor Bunby delicately.

"Veribly! I will tell you exactly who it was." Merridee declared, completely missing the Mayor's kindly correction (and follow-up correction, 'verily'). She paced anew with hand upon her chin as she continued.

"I confess that the number 2 Alchemist, Mr Nystell had my suspicions early... But that was before his brave sacrifice yesterday…"

Hogwash!! Shanna thought.
You were the first one to try and convince me it was just an accident…!!!!

"…That being the case…" Merridee mused aloud, lowering the hand that had carefully rested on her chin in order to hover it before the large crowd as a devastating finger point.

"Was it you?" She said, finger landing squarely before Noelle. She merely raised an eyebrow in reply.

"The 'best friend' hmmm…? Got so jealous of miss Elusi's passionate romance that you endeavoured to put an end to it once and for all?"

"Or was it you…?" Merridee said, her finger landing on Brava. "Did you have a dispute with Mr Cantarello about dear Lilipa's medicine? And in the ensuing clash did you accidentally cause his amnesia? And thus the theft last night a ruse to throw people off the scene?"

Brava only seemed to acknowledge the words Lilipa as he mechanically turned to face her.

She stopped pacing in order to both figuratively and literally point the finger at herself.

"Or was it me? Someone who got so bored with the status quo that I attempted murder on Mr Cantarello not once but twice?"

"Very bold to include yourself, Merri!" Was the cry from the crowd.

"Always side-eye the main character or lead detective in detective stories! Those are the best ones!!!" Merridee chirped back pumping her arms.

Shanna found herself feeling more impressed that Merridee considered herself "lead detective" rather than the j'accuse moment. It was impressive… Considering much of Merridee's day to day free time seemed to have been spent dejectedly counting clouds.

"But no…" Merridee continued. "The dastard behind this crime is not me, nor any of the others I've mentioned so far…"
She paused for emphasis as every head in the plaza craned forward, Shanna included.

"The culprit was…" Merridee said, arm aloft.

"…You!"

The arm swung down like a weapon, the finger point landing precisely within the crowd as eyes widened at the shocking reveal.

"…M-Me…!?" Came Yvessa's frightened response, shrinking back from the public attention.

"That's ridiculous!" Laven said trying to stand protectively in front of her.

"Oho, is it?" Merridee retorted back. "There's no need to play dumb anymore, Miss Goodwill… Or shall I say Miss BADwill…? You see, not only were you spotted exiting the store directly after the first crime took place, but vital evidence was collected the other day that completely proves you to be the culprit."

Merridee pulled the scrap of fabric from her pocket, holding it high for the crowd to see. Shanna pursed her lips having realized this same fact yesterday.

"But t-thats…" Yvessa began.

"Exactly…!" Merridee proclaimed. "It is a scrap from your dress, torn after you fled yesterday evening… When you ran into Mr Nystell after your failed theft!"

Yvessa shook her head, hair flailing wildly as she did so. "B-But that dress was stolen from me… It was stolen yesterday!"

"A likely story!" Merridee said with a dismissive hand. "Guards! Take her away. She'll have plenty of time to state her case in jail." She said as the town guards rushed forward to carry out Merridee's order.

"N-No…" Yvessa said crumpling to the ground.

"I... I didn't do anything…"