by Nova Nelson
But wait. She had the most brilliant mind in Eastwind at her disposal right now. Might as well put it to the test.
“There was something peculiar about both of the jumpers.”
“Outside of normal elven behavior?”
“Yes.” Ruby paused. “Both had something written on their shirts.”
She was pleased to see that the tidbit had caught Stella’s interest as the pixie looked up from her work. “What was it?”
“The word ‘5th.’”
Stella considered it for a moment and then nodded once before tapping the pestle on the side of the cauldron. A peach-colored goo slid off it and into the bowl. “That makes sense.”
“It does?”
She grabbed a thick cinnamon stick from the table and used that to stir the mix now. “Yes. I mean, it doesn’t completely make sense, but there’s a connection.”
“Okay. And that connection is…?”
“The play, obviously.”
“How is the writing on their shirts connected to the play?”
“It’s a story about the events following the betrayal of Queen Naifa, isn’t it?”
“That’s what I’ve heard, yes.”
“She wasn’t the first of her name. No, no. I remember a few of the others. They were equally rubbish at ruling.”
Ruby considered it. “Are you telling me that the play is about Queen Naifa the Fifth? That’s what you believe 5th relates to?”
Stella shrugged. “Seems pretty obvious, right? Now, why someone would write that on their clothes and jump off a clock tower, that’s something I’ll leave up to you and Gabby Bloom to figure out.”
Stella dipped her fingers in the paste and pulled out a sizable amount. The mixing had turned it the color of a ripe blueberry. Without delay, the pixie flew over and began covering Ruby’s neck with a thick layer of it. The pungent scent, which quickly reached the witch’s nostrils, left something to be desired.
So, as Stella continued applying it, Ruby decided to lose herself in her mind. The theory Stella had just presented made so much sense. This was all about the play, wasn’t it? Bron and Dalora timing their jumps with it—and didn’t Bitania say the bells were used for the murder scene? —the stains on their shirt referencing the queen being murdered on stage. It was starting to fall together.
And yet, there remained so many other loose ends to tie up in this snowballing theory, so many more questions to be answered.
And an old line from a play she hadn’t thought about in ages surfaced in her mind: The play’s the thing…
Indeed, it was.
Chapter Eighteen
While Ruby wasn’t thrilled that she was spending a beautiful Saturday watching community theater, it did help that it was part of a murder investigation.
It also helped that Zax Banderfield had been able to meet her for the show. Ruby had arranged for them to meet with time to spare, and she was glad she had. After a spot of tea at A New Leaf around ten (Harley Hardtimes clearly hadn’t forgotten that Zax had previously stood her up, and the proprietor was keeping a close eye on the werebear), they strolled to the Emporium, which was bustling with its usual weekend foot traffic.
Zax had a cool eighteen inches on her height, and she was keenly aware they made a strange match in other ways, physically speaking. She often wondered why he seemed interested in her, with her lack of attention to wardrobe and unintentional statement of fiery curls that seemed to have a mind of their own. She didn’t make a practice of disparaging her looks, but she was a realist: there were plenty of better looking women in Eastwind who would jump all over a muscular man like him, with his ocean-blue eyes, thick chocolate hair sun-streaked with copper, and a strong nose that could have been sculpted by the hand of an Italian Master. And that didn’t even touch upon the power he wielded around town as a member of the High Council and Sleuth Leader of the Eastwind werebears—and everyone knew power could be quite the aphrodisiac for a woman in search of a mate.
But she could easily cast aside those questions whenever she was with him. His attention to her left no room for them. She may never know the answers, but he made it clear that he was in fact interested in her.
“Any news from Fluke Mountain?” Ruby asked as they left a bakery with a fresh baguette and small sausage each. It was Ruby’s favorite simple lunch, and the only thing that kept her from eating it every day was her lack of desire to leave the house every day.
Zax pulled off a piece of bread and said, “None that would interest you,” before popping it into his mouth.
“Meaning no attacks or murders or ghosts?”
“Precisely.”
She feigned offense. “I’m interested in other things than all that.”
“Oh yeah?” The werebear grinned down a foot and a half at her. “Like what?”
“Well, open-air theater, for one.”
He laughed. “Yes, you sounded so excited about it. Am I right in assuming this is more work than pleasure for you?”
“I thought we’d already decided to mix the two.”
“I’m not complaining,” he said, holding his hands up in surrender, “I’m glad to spend whatever time we can together.”
And yet, there was less and less of it lately.
She decided not to dwell on that. She enjoyed any time she could get with the head of the Eastwind werebears. Why complicate it? It was so rare she enjoyed her time with anyone other than Clifford. And, of course, Bloom.
“How are Opal and Cedric?” she asked. “Has their romance endured?”
The two werebears had been involved in a sticky situation after Opal’s boyfriend, Swamy, had caught wind of her affair with Cedric Pine.
“Of course not,” he said. “Opal’s had three other boyfriends since then.”
“Three? It’s only been a few months.”
“Exactly. I’m surprised it isn’t more.”
“That’s awfully judgmental,” she chided.
He shrugged and took a bite from his sausage. “Hey, no judgment from me. Just an observation. I remember being young. When I was in my early twenties, I had a different girlfriend each week.”
“And now?”
“I prefer quality over quantity.”
She nudged him in the side with her shoulder. “Well, I wish you the best finding a quality girlfriend in this town.”
“I appreciate the support, but I think I might already have my eye on someone who fits the job description.”
“Sounds like even dating is work for you.”
He shrugged. “Maybe so. But I always throw myself into my work. No one’s complained yet.”
Ruby felt her face redden.
“For what it’s worth,” she said, trying to change the subject, “I am very interested in the play. I’ve heard only rave reviews about it.”
“Then you and I must not be talking to the same people. I’ve heard only strange things about it,” he replied.
They settled on a small rock wall and Ruby was able to juggle her lunch a little better as they people watched. “What sort of strange things have you heard all the way up on Fluke Mountain?”
“That elves like to jump from there”—he pointed at the top of the clock tower— “in the middle of the play.”
“Yes, that is a strange feature.” She gazed up at the structure. Would there be a third elf standing on the edge in less than an hour? Bloom’s correspondence about her meeting with Magnus Taerwyn had been brief and expressed little more than the angel’s lack of concern for his safety and that she was taking the necessary precautions to manage it. It was almost as if Bloom were hiding something. From Ruby. But that made no sense.
“I’ve heard of some wacky performance art,” Zax continued, “but never suicide.”
“What about homicide?”
He turned quickly to look at her. “You think so?”
“I… have a hunch.”
“Your hunches are as good as knowing, far as I’m concerned. Your so-called hunch about S
wamy Stormstruck was right. I never would have thought the missing man was also the one behind the attacks.”
She grinned up at him. “Which is why it’s a good thing this town has me.”
He didn’t pull his eyes away from her when he said, “If only they realized how lucky they are.”
She broke the eye contact hastily. “Yes, well, that’s just part of being a beacon for death. Never the life of the party.”
They nibbled at their sausage and bread in silence as they observed the passersby. A few of them waved hello or stopped to chat with Zax, but Ruby’s conversational skills weren’t called upon even once. It seemed no one made the connection that Ruby and Zax were sitting next to one another on the wall, eating the exact same meal, because they were spending time together. Intentionally. People seemed to regard it as a mere coincidence that he was in the same place at the same time as her, and perhaps he had been sitting on that rock wall and she had impolitely come up and sat down without asking. She could hardly blame anyone for their incorrect assumptions, though. They did make an odd couple.
In fact, she wouldn’t even call them a couple. Would she?
Stop complicating it.
She finished the last of her food just as a familiar voice boomed over the crowd. Bitania was clearly speaking through magical amplification as she welcomed the audience and introduced herself and her troop.
After wiping the grease off their hands on the soft grass behind them, Ruby and Zax moved closer to the stage. It was crucial she hear every word of the production. There could be good insights buried in the dialogue. And if there was, this was her last chance to hear it.
Zax put his arm around Ruby’s shoulder, and she leaned into his large, strong body. Oh, this was nice…
Focus!
But the sunlight and her full stomach were making her sleepy. She knew that she need only ask, and her date would happily accompany her home for a nap… and maybe more. And wouldn’t that be a delightful way to spend a weekend afternoon?
Afternoon. After noon. Right. It wasn’t even that time yet. It was only eleven fifty.
Bitania disappeared behind the curtains, which opened only a second later. Two of the fairies beat large drums for drama, as two actors fluttered onstage, dressed in flimsy stage armor.
Ruby was already bored.
She scanned the crowd until she located Gabby Bloom. The angel was ten yards behind her, arms crossed over her chest, obviously attempting to present as if she wasn’t pleasantly reliving her own glory days on stage up in Heaven.
When Ruby caught her eye, Bloom nodded. Good. The plan was still in place, then.
“Ah, I knew it,” spoke Zax in a low tone.
She looked up at him to find he had followed her gaze and was now looking at Bloom as well. He waved to the sheriff.
“It is work that brought you here, isn’t it?”
“Like you said,” she whispered back, “nothing wrong with mixing work and pleasure.”
“I don’t disagree. But I do wonder which one takes precedence. Am I just a cover for you?”
“Of course not!” she insisted. She placed a hand on his where it remained on her upper arm, holding her close to him. “I’m just glad that work finally allowed me a moment with you.”
He nodded but didn’t reply and returned his attention to the stage.
Shoot. The play. How easily she was distracted from something she had no desire to pay attention to in the first place.
Although, she had to admit, the scene where the guards whisked Queen Naifa, played of course by Bitania herself, into the highest tower was quite tense. The acting wasn’t half bad… for community theater. And when the first bell tolled in Fallia’s Eye behind Ruby’s back, commencing the brief introduction tune before ringing in the hour, the effect was powerful. She did feel like she was there in the tower with the queen.
Relief washed over Bitania’s face as the bells rang out the last of the song before counting out the hours.
“Could it mean what I hope?” she proclaimed during the brief pause.
One of the fairy guards said, “It does. It means victory is at hand.”
Doooom…
“Thank Mother Earth!” the queen proclaimed again.
Doooom…
One of the guards then added, “You forget to ask whose victory, my queen.”
Doooom…
A shadow passed between Ruby and the sun, hardly more than a flicker, and when she glanced up, she saw Sheriff Bloom flying overheard, away from the Emporium, a blur of white and tan.
What the hellhound?
The sheriff was supposed to keep a close eye on the clock tower in case anyone else decided to see if they could fly. But if she was leaving, then who was watching it?
Ruby shielded her eyes from the sun to get a good look at the jumping point. No one was there. But what would she even do if someone was? She couldn’t swoop in and catch them like Bloom could. The sheriff had left her completely on her own with no tools to handle the situation.
But as the clock continued to toll and finally ended after the twelfth and final ring, there was still no one to be seen at the top of the clock tower.
And on stage, Queen Naifa V was dead.
Were they in the clear now? Hadn’t the last two instances taken place during that particular scene?
Doubt swarmed her like a cloud of gnats. What if the jumpers simply had been a coincidence? What if the play actually had nothing to do with it?
But her Insight rejected both of those questions. The events had to be related to the play. But why had no one jumped? She checked again. Still no one visible in the bell tower above the clock face.
Was she disappointed by that? No, that would be horrible.
And yet, it would validate a theory that had been growing more solid by the second up until the point when the final bell sounded.
Someone tapped her on the arm, and she jumped and looked around until she spotted the offender.
A young, red-faced boy with intense, beady eyes and copious freckles stared up at her.
“Can I help you?”
“You’re Ruby True, right?” he asked.
She could tell by his tone that something was terribly wrong. “Yes. And you’re Stu Manchester.”
“The Sheriff sent me to get you. She needs you to follow me right away.”
Ruby’s brow furrowed as she tried to make a decision. Would Bloom really have sent a child to get her, or was this some sort of trap?
“She said you’d be skeptical,” he said. “So she told me to tell you that if you don’t come, she’ll tell everyone about the time you accidentally used thistle instead of fennel in your hair removal potion.”
Ruby’s eyes shot open, and she quickly checked to make sure Zax hadn’t heard that.
It was clear by the amused way he was staring down at Stu that he had.
Well, maybe he wouldn’t understand the full implications of what it meant… or how long it took her to remove the bristly beard afterward.
“Fine, fine,” she said, “lead the way.”
She looked at Zax and nodded for him to follow.
“Sounds like it’s suddenly all work and no pleasure,” he said, staying put. “I’ll leave you to it. Let me know when you’re ready to swap those proportions.”
Fair enough.
She called to Clifford and then set out through the enraptured crowd, weaving this way and that to follow little Stu Manchester to whatever emergency Bloom had flown to in such a hurry.
“Where are we going?” Ruby asked as they entered the Erin Park neighborhood.
“The house of Magnus Taerwyn.”
“The elf?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“But doesn’t he live in Tearnanock Estates?”
“He does, ma’am.”
“And you know about Tearnanock Estates?”
“I do, ma’am.”
Her lungs screamed at her to stop wasting her breath on conversation, but her
question was too pressing. “How do you know about it? I thought it was mostly a secret.”
“It is, ma’am. But Sheriff Bloom told me about it a while ago for a situation such as this.”
“And what exactly is this situation?”
He stopped in his tracks to look at her straight on. And with the manner of seriousness reserved for boys of his age, he said, “Surveillance.”
Really, Gabby! Sending children to keep an eye on persons of interest!
But at the same time, there was a brilliance to it.
Ruby knew very little about Stu Manchester, but his reputation of abiding by and upholding the law preceded him already.
The poor kid was probably bullied something terrible at school.
“Fine then,” she said, “lead the way.” And a part of her was thrilled. She was going to get to see the invisible avenue of the elves.
Chapter Nineteen
They hurried through Erin Park, Ruby and Clifford following behind Stu Manchester. If this turned out to be a true emergency, they would be poor help. Clifford had no trouble with the speed, but Ruby found herself not quite up for the task of chasing down a boy who could be no older than twelve.
“This way, Ms. True.”
They slipped down an alleyway between two shops, and a moment later, Stu Manchester reached into seemingly empty space in front of him and grabbed hold of something.
He pulled open the invisible door.
“That’s it?” Ruby asked. “Not exactly fantastic security.”
Stu held it open for her. On the other side was a staircase that looked only a little less grimy than the alley in which they stood. “Only certain people can open the door,” he explained. “The residents, the High Council, and a few other key members of the community.”
“And you,” Ruby remarked, passing through ahead of him.
“And me. Bloom snuck me on the register so I could spy.” His eyes went wide like he’d just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. “Don’t tell anyone I can do this, though!”
Clifford crossed the threshold, and Stu closed the invisible door behind him. From this side of it, it was clearly visible—solid wood with an ornately carved copper handle.