Day 5 - Nighttime - Night
26th Second autumn, 1152
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It's night already. As always, investigators Jeanne and Hannah are inside their room. Both of them are having a discussion as a result of what they have collected so far from their daily investigation. This time, both of them are not talking about the case but the content of the document. Jeanne has come up with an idea to solve the case that way. She hopes the investigation goes well when her request is applied, it's for the case to end once and for all and it's also for her daughter's safety.
"Mom", - Hannah speaks up after a long time thinking. "so basically... you asked the prince to put a group of royal guards outside of here, they'll follow Selena's wagon every time she travels with it?".
"That's right, sweetie. If she had anything suspicious, it'd be likely inside her wagon". - Jeanne reconfirms. "Not just her anyway, the group will also stalk other suspects".
"Then why is Braun in that group, then?". - Hannah wonders
Jeanne stays quiet. She understands why her daughter feels unpleasant about it. Braun is one of the four suspects, giving her a position in this investigative group is like giving her more advantage to commit her crimes more easily. But this mother knows it's a risky but worthy decision.
"We don't have many choices, sweetie. Braun may be the suspect, but who knows if the members of that group are also trustworthy? We'll end this case one way or another, so please be patient". - Jeanne pats her daughter's shoulder twice
Hannah shrugs a little. She puts the document on the desk and takes a seat. The mother and daughter are about to discuss something else. About the suspects they have been following so far.
"Alright, so...", - Jeanne gently takes a seat. "I followed Reila today, no evidence shows she could be the killer or related to those missings and murders. However, she didn't seem to cooperate, didn't care about her friend - one of those who are missing". - She pulls out a letter. "Reila told me something interesting, about this letter, the first victim could be the key for this case. But now it's just a letter, I need to see the victim's parents... to verify if what she told me is true or not".
"What about her, mom?". - Hannah doesn't want to hear a long explanation, she wants to have her mother's conclusion first
"Quite suspicious...". - Her mother replies. "I went to the restroom after I talked with her a bit. When I came out, my drink was already filled and full of ice, it was empty at the time before I went to the restroom".
"It didn't look odd, maybe a waitress filled it up".
"No, sweetie, it's not". - Jeanne reconfirms. "Who would do that to a customer? I didn't ask that. Selena was with her at the time, both of them... none are innocent to me".
"Just in short... both are suspicious, I wouldn't be surprised if they were the killers working together".
Hannah nods.
"I already gave you my report about Saeko. Did you read it, mom?". - Hannah asks
Jeanne replies with a nod.
"She seems suspicious too but... we still need information. I already asked her if she could join a private meeting tomorrow, it's a good thing when she said yes".
"Why didn't tell me about that earlier?". - Hannah knows her mother would stay outside late every night before returning to the room, but she hates the way she would sometimes not reveal some information
"I just told you...". - Jeanne chuckles. "Look, sweetie... it's only free for us to talk whatever we want when the door is locked". - She sighs a little, then takes a sip of water from a cup beside her hand
Hannah looks up at the ceiling, she wants to think about the case a little.
"Mom... why do I feel like every suspect is the killer? As if they don't try to hide it".
"Hmmmm... people are suspicious at some point, sweetie. Stop overthinking".
"Then it means the Palace Killer is not just one individual". - Hannah looks straight into her mother's eyes
"It's never one individual from the beginning, sweetie". - Jeanne looks up at the ceiling, she sighs, a little too much. "Back... back then, I was involved in a case, it's so much similar with this one. Still some differences but... I find similarities between those two more". - She scratches her hair a little, her mind rewinding. "Remember, sweetie... we're into a case where there's no crime scenes, no clues, no witnesses, no suspects. This crime can only be done by a group, a meticulous one, the Palace Killer is one who stands behind everything, and... she's among us".
"What about our two-killer-groups theory?". - Hannah reminds her mother
"We only have a little clue to prove that theory... but it doesn't matter anymore. Two groups or one group, all of them want to get rid of us first".
"I'd like to add the prince to the list, mom". - Hannah suggests
Jeanne wasn't surprised to hear it. Instead, she wants to hear about her daughter's explanation of her suspicion first.
"Go on, sweetie". - Jeanne nods
"Well... his wives and the maids went missing. He founded a group for the investigation but it went with no results, then he hired people like us to do that job". - Hannah drinks a bit of water before she can continue, she is a bit frustrated because there are no cookies or something for her to chew. "He doesn't want us to leave, he doesn't want the case to be revealed in public, he hides the disappearances of the victims from their parents, he is not that nice".
"So, sweetie... what are you trying to say?". - Jeanne wants to take her daughter's thoughts seriously, even if it sounds unreasonable
"Too many "coincidences" about that man, mom".
"So you're saying he's the killer?".
"Yeah". - Hannah confirms
"Which role exactly? I won't reject your theory but this murder isn't something an individual can do. Koenig doesn't look like someone wicked enough to make a case like this. Let's say he's the killer, but what he is in that role? That's the work of a big group. What are his motives anyway?".
"Pleasure... maybe. You see how much he's controlled by the Prime Minister, he wants to... release, by putting his anger on people who are inferior to him". - Hannah wants to explain her theory in detail. "Well... just something I heard from the people here, his mother supported his investigative group when it was founded. Also, you know Selena does charity work for the churches in the countryside by supporting medicine and food". - She looks at her mom. "Koenig supports her charity work through the money invested by his mother".
"Interesting...", Jeanne nods. "however, it doesn't make sense. There's no way a killer would call us here to solve the mess he made".
"Have you ever experienced something like this, mom?". - Hannah feels bored discussing over and over again a topic without finding a unified conclusion
Jeanne doesn't want to discuss with her daughter at all. From the beginning, if she knew she would attend a big case like this, she wouldn't have brought Hannah. From her view, the more she investigates, the more she finds out about the involvement of royal people in this case. Without enough clues, the only thing she can do is create theories, the case appears to be a dead end since the suspects are too difficult for these investigators to lay their hands on.
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"It couldn't be His Highness". - Jeanne expresses her conclusion. "It's understandable when he hid the information of people who went missing. I'm just a peasant but I know rulers tend to find small excuses for something to start a war, this is a good one for it". - She tries to remember something. "Koenig is not the killer. He's too emotional, his crime wouldn't last that long without being detected. Even if he was the killer, the mastermind was someone else".
"Mom, my question". - Hannah is frustrated when her theory was rejected, she gets on the bed and lies there, getting some air
Jeanne stays quiet. A while later, she just nods slightly to confirm.
"But it's different. An ordinary killer wouldn't show up in front of us and ask us to solve the mess they did". - Jeanne explains. "Especially Koenig, he is not that person".
Hannah sighs a little. Her tired eyes keep looking up at the ceiling.
"Mom... is there a way to find out someone is a criminal? By looking, or by asking something...?".
"?". - Jeanne feels a bit confused. "No... they just look like all others". - She falls silent. "...........................".
"Actually... back at the time when I was your age, someone taught me how to identify someone if they have a problem in their head... through a question". - Jeanne sips some water while looking at her daughter. "That's what I was told. I have never tested this on anyone before".
"Why it's always "someone" who taught you something, mom?".
"It's your dad, alright. Your dad". - Jeanne comes over the bed and pats Hannah's head
"So there's a story...". - Jeanne later inhales, giving herself some space. "There's a girl, her mother died and at her funeral, many people come. She meets a man there and falls in love with him, but she doesn't know who he is and where he lives, she can't do anything to contact him either". - She puts her hand away. "A week later... she murders her little sister. So the question is... what caused her to do that...?".
Both investigators go silent. Hannah feels like her interest has been piqued after hearing this riddle, she just smiles up accidentally, thinking about it. Hannah already made the answer as her mother finished saying the question's content. However, she wonders very much about what would the actual answer look like.
"She wants to see him again". - Jeanne suddenly speaks up
"Hmmmm... just like that?". - Hannah feels bored with what she heard after expecting something bigger
"If someone answers the question that way, they may have a problem in their heads... or that's what I was taught". - Jeanne then returns patting her daughter's head. "Ordinary people would think the girl found out her sister and the guy were in a relationship, her jealousy drove her to murder. But there's another answer for it, the one I just said... only those who have unstable minds can say it like that".
Hannah keeps nodding. She quickly sits up and quietly leaves the bed. The girl approaches the table, she feels bored of discussing without anything to eat.
"I'll come to the kitchen then, those highborns always leave their leftovers", Hannah thinks. But she decides to wait until her mother goes to sleep, she wouldn't dare to let her daughter be outside anyway.
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Jeanne is sitting at her desk, re-reading all the information she has collected from the investigation. She feels relieved when Hannah is sleeping deeply. The room is totally silent, she can now focus on the case without any worries. Jeanne is a bit impatient because this has been a long time since she has ever experienced a case with this much difficulty. The investigator would usually solve a case within a week, some difficult ones would take her up to a month.
But this case... is completely different. One week wouldn't be enough to solve it completely, to her, it would take at least three months, if that's possible for her.
"Alright...", Jeanne thinks. She looks up at the ceiling, she sighs and closes her eyes, working with her brain when it's in a state of complete exhaustion for the best answer after a long time thinking.
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I must do it quick. For six months, 16 people in the palace have gone missing, most of them are the wives of Prince Koenig, some are just ordinary maids or servants of the women who are victims. During that same time, 4 people maids have been murdered. The two investigators who came before us are now also gone missing like other victims.
If I was the killer, my motives for these crimes could only be because of...
- Desires for power
In 16 victims who are missing, 12 of them are wives of His Highness. This big number is enough to show me that there is a political conflict in this palace, 4 maids who vanished could also be his wives or former wives, but I have little information about these women, likely almost nothing. A person's social status speaks a lot about them, those who have nothing significant tend to be forgotten, these maids too. Otherwise, those poor souls might be the unlucky witnesses. The two investigators just stood in the way of the killer, no wonder why they would vanish.
A headache thing is about the maids who were murdered. This didn't look like it was made by the same killer of the previous incident, the two-killer-groups theory was made because of this confusing detail.
My daughter and I jumped to the same conclusion that in the initial phase, this murder group was just one, a unified one. As time passed, a conflict occurred and the group was splitted in two, both sides started killing each other. The maids who were murdered could be the accomplices of the other side group... that's just a theory. Who knows if those women were just innocent souls, lives taken randomly because the killer switched the way they kill people since they were bored of being not detected...?
Wait... I'm being distracted...
Alright... if I have to comment, if I have to assume then...
Group A would be led by...
- Reila and Selena
Group B would be led by...
- The Queen... and Selena?
In two groups, Group A uses the maids as accomplices for the murders
Group B uses the outsiders outside the palace for the murders then... but if this group was led by the Queen, my assumption could be wrong. She can also use other servants like the maids and the guards. Using the outsiders could be a way for her to erase evidence.
Starting with Group A, Reila and Selena appear friendly to each other despite the difference in their social status. If both of them work together, then it's possible. Their suspicious behaviors when I was with them could be enough to tell me something was off.
Reila doesn't seem to be manipulative enough for the leader role. I'm being conflicted about who is the leader of this group, Selena is a more possible answer. She is more unpredictable...
Just assumptions and theories, I need more clues... if I keep thinking without proof, I'll just go crazy.
Alright... I must get it straight. Let's say Reila is the leader, she became the new main wife of His Highness after his current main wife went missing, it looks possible. About Selena, let's say both of them share the objectives so that's why they work together. Reila wants power, while Selena wants both power and love from Koenig. These two will find the way to get rid of each other when everything is done.
About Group B, I have not much information about the Queen but she is a powerful woman. She has all the reasons to erase other women's existence, no woman could take over her throne, life of nobility is always surrounded by power. Just my theory... she could the the cause of the missings of the wives and the maids in the palace. I mean... in the initial phase... she could the the leader of the killer group before it got divided.
After both sides got divided... they started killing each other. The use of the outsiders could likely be the idea of Group B, maybe. The Queen is powerful, she has the right to use the key. Maybe she wants to blame Reila and Selena for the crimes then.
The Queen also supported her son when he founded the investigative group to find the missing women. She has so much power, it's easy for her to manipulate and control the entire group, which could be the cause that made the entire investigation walk in a straight dead end. Koenig did have his suspicions towards his mother, just my assumption. I doubt that he would try to approach it mentally and physically, he's a good son... but maybe he will stand for his mom no matter what.
Wait a bit... I just missed something...
What is Selena's exact role in this murder anyway? If I have to say, Selena would be the butcher of the two. They won't let their hands dirty, just put it on someone else. This makes me feel like Selena is under their protection despite being used as their card, she'll be dumped in the end anyway. Selena is also the suspect with the lowest social status despite being one of Prince Koenig's wives. If the case keeps going like this, she is the only one to be arrested.
Reila and the Queen are royalties anyway. They're impossible for me to lay my hands on unless I have someone else more powerful to back me up...
But the more I think about the two-killer-groups theory, the more I want to erase it. It just feels wrong, as if it's just a mislead in the case. But it's also very conflicting to rule it out, what if this is an important detail and I should stick with it more, huh? This theory keeps making me hooked up with it, there are many other details out of it but I haven't checked.
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All of a sudden, Jeanne feels like she is being awakened after drowning herself in full of thoughts. Someone is knocking on the door, she slowly approaches it.
"Who's there?". - Jeanne feels very exhausted due to overthinking, she just wants to take a short nap before draining her mind again when she wakes up
"It's me, madame".
Jeanne immediately understands that is Braun Frieden who is standing behind the front door. Unlocking the door, the investigator opens half of it and slowly pokes her face outside to see the situation.
"I'm sorry for disturbing you at this late hour, madame". - Braun bows a little. "Selena... she's about to leave the place with her wagon now".
"Say again". - Jeanne feels like her sleepiness has been lifted after hearing what Braun said
"My friend would sometimes go to the church this late. I was on my shift this morning, maybe it was at the time when the people from her house came to send supplies, I'm not sure... I wasn't there. She's about to visit the church, to deliver medicine and food". - Braun appears hesitant and doesn't want to stalk her best friend, she believes she is innocent
Jeanne knows going out at this late hour is very dangerous. However, she can't let this opportunity slip, she sees everything is fine as long as it's not about her daughter. If she stalks Selena right now, it may lead her to somewhere brighter to solve this mysterious case. As long as her daughter is safe, as long as she isn't involved in it.
"Are you free right now, Lady Frieden?". - Jeanne glances at Hannah a bit, then looks back at Braun
Braun nods. She appears nervous more than eager to do what she's about to do.
"Thank you. I hope you can follow me". - Jeanne nods. "This case is going to end soon, wait for me, we'll need to get hurry". - Jeanne walks back into the room, she starts gathering what she finds important for the stalking
The mother accidentally glances at her daughter, she feels relieved when her daughter is sleeping there. She'll lock the door when she leaves the room for the stalking to make sure her daughter is safe. As long as her daughter is safe, that's what matters the most to this mother...
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