Day 5 - Daytime - Noon
26th Second autumn, 1152
...
...
...
Investigator Jeanne is now standing in a corner of the palace's front yard. She waits for Reila. Somehow, the meeting wasn't made although Reila promised to meet with Jeanne. After knowing the woman wasn't in the palace but was with Prince Koenig outside for some reason, the female investigator decided to wait for her return so that she could continue her mid-stopped investigation.
Hannah isn't with Jeanne at the moment, her daughter is busy with another duty. Only Jeanne standing alone in the front yard, she stays cover in the shadow of the pillars to avoid the bright sunlight of noon. The investigator still waits, her right hand is holding a brown document, appears to have files contained inside, the information files.
During the waiting, Jeanne glances at some carriages parked in areas near her position. She is looking for Selena Breima's carriage, which she would use every time she visits the church to donate food and medicine to the people there. Despite not having enough physical evidence that links Selena Breima to the missings and murders, Jeanne still suspects the girl because she has enough potential and conditions to operate it.
Still nothing... Jeanne sees some wagons there but she doesn't know which one belongs to the suspect. All she can do right now is depend on the information given by Braun Frieden. But that royal guard is also busy at the moment.
Since Prince Koenig isn't in the palace, Jeanne can't come to him to ask for a warrant paper. Even if the investigator did own a warrant, she wouldn't search the carriage right away, instead, she would wait. But... everything didn't go as planned, the investigator only hopes it wouldn't take long until her hands can touch a warrant paper.
A wagon suddenly stops as Jeanne was thinking. She takes a glance and notices it is Reila's carriage. One guard comes to open the door, a figure appears to be suspect Reila Foss slowly steps out of the small carriage. Two maids from the wagon follow their owner, but they soon notice their way is blocked.
The maids start to notice their owner is staring at the woman before her. Jeanne stays quiet, she stands before Reila, her eyes looking still at the woman's eyes. Just like that, a moment of silence occurs between the two people.
Reila shows up as a woman who appears to be in her 25. Her crimson dress is outstanding compared to the others' clothes. The woman doesn't seem to like the way the investigator stares at her eyes. Her face grumbles a bit.
"Oh... alright". - Reila lowers her face slightly, she looks away and holds her head. "I remember I promised you we would discuss that topic today... well... come in, make it quick when I'm still free". - The woman returns inside her carriage, she wants the investigator to follow her
Jeanne only stays silent and slowly enters the wagon. She just saw an unusual behavior of Reila, she just returned to the palace after going somewhere, but then she decided to go back inside.
"I hope you'll excuse me if I open up my voice, Lady Reila. Why did you just return to your wagon?". - Jeanne questions
"It'd waste my energy if I talked with you when I was going back to my room. Let's solve it right here". - Reila puts her back in her seat, her tone shows that she sees the investigator's words have no weight, she wants the conversation to end early
Jeanne nods. She sits firmly and starts putting the document aside. Nothing is unusual until the investigator saw suspect Selena inside the wagon. That young girl appears to be one of the two maids sitting inside the carriage.
However, Jeanne needs information first... she hides her surprise, trying to speak up.
"I went to see you this morning. But you weren't here, Lady Reila".
"I got in... an urgent meeting. Everything is fine now, it was boring so I did not bother to stay". - Reila replies, her eyes focus on the document Jeanne is holding
"If you bring it here to give His Highness, you should better wait until he returns. He's still in the meeting, and I'm not going again".
Jeanne nods slightly.
"Lady Reila, I know doing this takes your time. But this won't take long, I'm just going to ask you some questions about the case I'm working on, I need cooperation". - The investigator opens some files. "I'm afraid the missings in recent times have turned into murders, I want to make sure everyone is safe. I don't know how long would it take, but I'll catch this Palace Killer as soon as possible".
Jeanne focuses on Reila and Selena's expressions. From this investigator's knowledge, she knows some murderers react to their nicknames in various ways, some don't, it's a narcissist test. However, things later show that both of them appear normal after hearing the name. The investigator is still very sure Selena could be the real killer, but she is unsure about Reila, the woman could be innocent or has some involvement.
For some reason, Reila doesn't say anything after that. The woman sips some tea, her maids sit still, another silent moment occurs. Jeanne still wonders why Selena is with Reila. She wants to make sure her investigation goes smoothly.
"You don't serve His Highness today, Selena?". - Jeanne asks the maid girl, she soon turns her attention to the document as if she was asking her friend while doing her job
"Lady Reila's servant isn't with her today, maybe she's sick. Well, I have to replace her, no choice left". - Selena replies, she opens a light smile as always
Jeanne stays quiet for a while. Right now, she has two suspects in front of her. It could be a coincidence, but the investigator is not so sure about that scenario. "Are they working together?", she doesn't know. "If Selena was the real killer, then could she be under control of someone for this work?", she doesn't know about it either.
Even if what Jeanne assumed was real, she couldn't do anything because she hasn't researched much about Reila.
"Um, excuse me, Lady Reila", - Jeanne bows slightly. "she's just a friend of mine, I just wanted to know if she was doing alright". - The investigator holds a file in her hand, while the others have been put aside
"Hmmm... is it safe to speak here? It's something private". - Jeanne speaks up once again
"My servants won't disturb".
The investigator nods slightly as she heard Reila's response. Jeanne honestly doesn't want the information of the case being leaked to anyone, she is also cautious towards the maids. However, she has no choice but to continue in this situation. She needs information and statements, other issues can be dealt with later.
"As you know, Lady Reila. Six months ago until recently, many women have been missing and four maids have been murdered". - Jeanne wonders if her plan isn't going as well as she thought. "But I believe those who went missing are now dead, the murderer will likely target people like you. Please, I just need you here for a while, it won't take long, with your help, I'll be able to catch the killer".
"Go straight to the point". - Reila shrugs, she sips some tea
Jeanne nods firmly. She gives Reila the file that she was holding earlier.
"I believe the clues for us to find the killer come from his first victim. Lady Luvita Rommosa was last seen reading books in her room at night, then she went missing and was never seen again". - Jeanne tries to brief the information in the file. "From what I heard, you're her close friend and she visited you frequently before she disappeared. I know this happened very long ago, but could you please tell me how was she doing that night if you met her? Did she have any strange behaviors or something like that?".
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Jeanne stays quiet and observes Reila's behaviors. The woman sips some tea and reads the file at the same time, she puts the cup down. Reila sighs a little, she later returns the file to the investigator.
"You can ask her maids instead, she stayed with her all the time".
"But Lady Reila, her maid is also one of three people who went missing that night too". - Jeanne sees that Reila's feelings for her close friend look shallow, but she can't prove anything without proof
"Oh... I don't know that". - Reila replies, she then stays quiet. "Actually, I did meet her that night. Everything was fine, but she asked me to walk her around the palace, she was new to the place anyway". - The woman picks up her cup, she notices it's almost empty
Jeanne stays quiet, she wants Reila to continue her statement.
"We went around the palace, I taught her the living areas for the servants and the royals. Then we... went to... we went to see flowers". - For some reason, Reila stopped her voice twice during her speech
"In the backyard or the garden?". - Jeanne asks
"Garden". - Reila answers, she later picks up and sips a new cup of tea. "She liked them a lot. We later parted ways, she said she remembered the direction back to her room so I went back to mine".
Jeanne nods. She starts to wonder if Reila's statement is the truth.
"But why did you have to wait for today to ask me?". - All of a sudden, Reila speaks up with annoyance. "You came here five days ago, you could have done more than this. You make me think you started investigating from today, my husband just spent his money to hire a worthless disappointment".
"I understand your feelings, Lady Reila, it's my bad. The profiles were many, it took me days to process. But I'll make sure to solve the case as fast as possible".
Jeanne wonders if intentionally showing her fake weaknesses could make the real killer less guard up or not. But she knows she can't mask for too long, she can't be passive at work all the time.
"That's why I told you this is something private. Most missing people in this case are high-ranked nobles, some know you, all of them like you, have been targeted". - Jeanne explains. "I'm here to prevent another murder by catching the killer, Lady Reila, you would be targeted if I can't protect you. That's why I need your help to find clues, please give me a chance".
"What's about the missing maids and the two people like you earlier?". - Reila asks, she puts her back deeper into her seat to relax
"They can't give me much money like you do". - The investigator forms a slight smile, she stares into Reila's eyes for a while
Reila also smiles back as she saw Jeanne smiling. The woman's smile appears to disregard the female investigator more than to appreciate her current presence.
"Alright... but I'm not giving you any coins, ask my husband". - Reila replies, she returns to sip some tea
The investigator nods.
"Ummm... the report said Lady Rommosa was with her maid at the time she went missing. Was she?".
"Yes, her maid was with her, we never saw each other again when we parted ways". - Reila replies
Again, Jeanne sees the shallow feelings towards the close friend of suspect Reila Foss.
"I hope your friend is still alright, Lady Reila, although it's a very small possibility". - Jeanne speaks as she reads the report in the file. "Do you know why she disappeared? Maybe she ran away, she's the first one to disappear and maybe her disappearance has nothing to do with other missings". - The investigator wonders what would Reila think about it. "Maybe it's just a coincidence, she disappeared not because she was dead, she ran away for some reason and it met right at the time people started disappearing".
All of a sudden, Reila stops sipping her tea, she goes silent.
"Actually... before she got picked inside the palace to become my husband's wife, she was arranged to marry a guy. He sent letters to her all the time, saying he would harm her parents if she didn't go back to him, she told me that". - Reila reveals a secret about her close friend's personal life
The investigator stays quiet, she wonders if this new information is real or fake. From what she knows based on the room search of the first victim Luvita Rommosa, there was nothing such as those letters. However, Jeanne doesn't want to slip any evidence. She wants to make sure everything goes right.
"Do you keep any letters like that, Lady Reila?".
Reila doesn't respond. She glances at one of her two maids, one woman later comes to a handbag nearby and pulls out a fur envelope. The investigator receives the envelope, she pulls the thing out and it appears to be a letter.
"Luvita told me to keep this thing. She said if something happens to her, she'll feel alright and when her friend is keeping this thing".
Jeanne focuses on the content of the letter. Instead of focusing on this new clue, the investigator focuses more on how could Reila keep this old letter in her handbag. As if she keeps it all the time, while she could store it in her room instead because this evidence is precious, especially if it's lost.
"Do you have any more letters, Lady Reila?". - Jeanne looks up and returns to reading after a few seconds
"That's all I got". - Reila responses
"Thank you... it helps me a lot. Letters are not found in her room, I hope my investigation is progressing thanks to this".
Jeanne later goes silent.
"The two investigators before me... did they investigate by following this letter?".
"They went that way but when I asked for more news, I heard nothing from them". - Reila replies, she sips some tea
Jeanne focuses on the content of the letter once again. She assumes she has found a suspicious thing. Reila said the two previous investigators used to investigate the case by following the clues of the first victim's personal life and the death threat letter. It means they had seen and read the letter. However... for some reason, these two men did not keep the evidence for further double-checks in the investigation but handed the letter back to Reila.
"Excuse me again, Lady Reila. About the man you said, did Lady Rommosa tell anything about him to you? His name or somethi-".
"Why keep asking me things I can't find the answer? Of course not. You're hired here for the job, don't waste my time any longer". - Reila riles up a little, she seems impatient and a little annoyed
"I'm very sorry for my incapacities, Lady Reila. I'll improve myself". - Jeanne bows deeply
The investigator starts thinking about the way to approach the case carefully. The only way to dig in the first victim's personal life for more clues is to find her parents. This will be very fast to find, her hometown profile is inside Jeanne's room. However, Jeanne and Hannah are ordered to live in the palace until the case is over, going out is allowed but leaking the case isn't... so it's living in isolation.
Despite not asking Prince Koenig that question, the investigator still assumes no parents of those girls have received the news. Parents of noble women can only communicate with their children by receiving letters from far away. Hiding the missings by ordering someone to continue writing the letters, mimicking their handwriting is a possible thing.
The commoners are much easier to deal with. Peasants are illiterate, maids are mostly countryside girls. As long as the stream of income still comes home, those parents won't know their children are either been missing or dead.
Jeanne wonders if she should make another path of investigation to collect clues by following the letter and Reila's statement.
The investigator doesn't trust the letter or Reila at all. It could be a trap, two previous people failed. Maybe the clues about the first victim's boyfriend and the letter are just staged. However, she has no evidence to show that information is fake... but... she still does not believe it or Reila's statement at all.
"I guess you've taken too much of my time. Can you get out now?". - All of a sudden, Reila speaks up with a stern voice
"Of course, Lady Reila. I'm very sorry for disturbing you... may I keep the letter, please?".
Reila looks at Jeanne for a while, she nods slightly.
Jeanne bows in silence and quietly leaves the wagon.
Now the little interrogation is over, Jeanne did see some suspicious things about the third suspect. However, she thinks she hasn't collected enough information about Reila Foss. This will take her more time to finish, but the investigator doesn't want to see another murder, the case must be solved.
Jeanne walks back to the front door of the palace. She intends to walk inside and return to her room. She thinks about storing the clues she found, then she would visit her daughter - Hannah to see if she is doing well with crafting luminol.
Jeanne and Hannah have two mages and Braun Frieden under their command. The mages are now guided to craft and use luminol, while Braun is ordered to become a stalker, a report writer. Since there are only two investigators in a case with enormous details, Jeanne needs as many allies as possible to help her.
Not much left for this female investigator to do in this situation. Prince Koenig isn't in the palace, she has to wait until he returns to ask for some things. A warrant paper and a scope for checking fingerprint samples, the scope Jeanne brought with is now broken. She can't follow Reila Foss either, she can't see Braun because the woman is busy with her duties.
"Hey".
All of a sudden, someone's voice just sounded up. Jeanne turns around and notices that is Selena. The maid girl just called the investigator for some reason, she then approaches the wagon.
"Hey", - Selena forms a bright smile. "I know you're very dedicated to your job so... I just asked Her Highness. She's fine with it now, maybe you can stay a bit longer".
Jeanne watches Selena in silence, her face stays neutral and wonders what the girl is up to.
"Thanks".
"We're friends after all, don't mind". - Selena replies to the investigator's appreciative thank
"You said you need to see His Highness, right? It'll be long for sure, the meeting can last till night". - Selena expresses. "An hour later maybe, remember to gather here. Her Highness is going to see her friends, you might have some moment to talk to her".
Jeanne nods. The investigator turns around after that moment, she wonders about the next scenarios.
...
...
...