by Lori Woods
She snarled at her friends. “You all started in on me immediately!” she snapped from within the cage bobbing in the water. “I didn’t kill that merman!”
“I believe you,” Lola said – speaking loudly so that everyone standing around eavesdropping on the situation could hear. “And, I know Detective Dereck is going to look into this very carefully, right, Detective?” Lola asked, turning towards Dereck who was standing there shaking his head at the whole situation.
“Of course,” he said. “I want everyone to clear out of this pond except for Nawfar,” he said. “Everyone, please, gather by the largest spring pond, if you would.” He turned towards some of the mermen who had caught Nawfar, deeming them somewhat trustworthy. “Make sure no one leaves that pond until I come and talk to them.”
The mermen nodded and escorted the rest of the merfolk to the pond Dereck had directed them. The other creatures standing about outside of the pond all wondered off towards the pond as well with the exception of Detective Dereck, Lola, and the responding officers who had been called in for assistance. “I didn’t do it, Dereck,” Nawfar said from her cage, looking more frustrated by her current predicament than anything.
“I believe you,” Dereck said, crouching down by the pond.
Lola followed is lead. “What happened Nawfar?”
“I was over by that pond when Cove was killed,” she said, pointing off to a small pond in the distance.
“Was anyone else with you?” Dereck asked, and Nawfar looked suddenly worried.
“No, I was eating,” she said. “By myself. I’ve been jumping from pond to pond all evening, and I got tired so I rested while I had something to eat.”
“So, no alibi…” Dereck said, looking a bit uncomfortable now.
“I suppose not,” Nawfar said, sounding concerned. “I had nothing to do with what happened to Cove.” She glanced over where other officers were currently covering him up with a blanket. “I don’t like him. Never have. You both heard how he talked to me. But why would I kill a man just for being rude to me?”
“This is not looking very good,” Dereck said. “There is no way I’m going to convince the police chief to let you out tonight.”
“Oh, well, that’s just perfect,” Nawfar said bitterly. "Are you telling me that I'm going to have to stay in this ugly little birdcage overnight?"
“You shouldn’t have run, Nawfar. It makes you look guilty, and now you’re telling me you have no alibi? And that your people seem to think that you are capable of this?” Dereck questioned.
“Well, I am a bit of a spitfire,” Nawfar said sarcastically. “But murder? Honestly, they all just panicked.”
“Merfolk are panicky creatures,” Nola said. “They all jumped to conclusions, and Nawfar panicked and ran away. It’s a bit in their nature.”
“Gee, thanks,” Nawfar said, crossing her arms and pouting. “You would become a fleeing sort as well, you know? If you had to worry about sharks on a daily basis.”
“You’re a freshwater mermaid,” Dereck said. “There are no sharks out this way.”
“You see my point though, yes?” Nawfar asked, rolling her eyes in discontent. “I ran because that’s what merfolk do. It’s not an admission of guilt. And, if you want my opinion, you should be looking into Antioch, no me.”
“Antioch?” Dereck asked.
“Yes, Antioch,” Nawfar said. “He is always such a brute at these gatherings not just to me but to all merfolk. He doesn’t like us. Not sure why he has such a distaste for merfolk, but he does. He has never been shy about making it known.”
“We did have an interesting conversation with him earlier,” Lola said. “You remember don’t you, Dereck?”
"Yes, I do," Dereck said, standing upright. He looked back to see that Cove was already being carted off by the wizarding coroner, the other officers seemed to just be standing around nodding or shaking their heads in a discussion about whether or not they thought Nawfar was guilty. “We’re going to find out what really happened here, Nawfar,” Dereck said. “For now, you just hang in there.”
“I suppose I don’t have much of a choice, now do I?” she questioned, her arms crossed and an angry scowl on her face.
“I’ll be back to check in on you,” Lola promised. “Just...”
“Hang in there?” Nawfar asked, rolling her eyes. “Whatever you say, Lola.”
Lola followed Detective Dereck as he walked towards the coroner who had used his wand to lift Cove up onto a floating gurney. “Not looking good, Dereck,” the man said. “Going to take Cove to the forensic team. They’ll be able to tell you more about that staff in his gut.”
“Thanks,” Dereck said and then addressed the other officers with a frustrated tone. “The rest of you should be looking for evidence and not standing around pointing fingers.”
They all grumbled and obeyed the order. Lola crossed her arms, watching the men with an extreme look of discontent. They were all ready to write Nawfar off as guilty, but Lola was not going to be having any of that.
Chapter 4
After overseeing the crime scene and not finding anything of use there, Dereck told Lola that he would be heading to meet with the forensic pathologist as soon as possible. He didn’t want people to start getting the idea that they had written Nawfar off as guilty. He wanted to make sure everyone knew he was on the case, and he was not going to be wasting any time whatsoever.
"I'll be going with you, then," Lola said in such a way that Dereck did not even bother arguing.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said and smiled ever so slightly. The two of them walked together towards the edge of the forest where they had left their broomsticks. They each mounted a broom and sped off through the sky towards the opposite end of town where Cove’s body had been taken not but an hour or two before.
“People are getting nervous already,” Lola said. “I could sense it. Cove isn’t from around here. When word reaches Atlantis that one of theirs got killed here in Warlor, things could get ugly fast.”
“Which is why I want to find out what really happened as soon as possible,” Dereck said. “Truthfully, it would be a lot easier on Warlor officials if it was Nawfar. Then we could just hand her over to Atlantian officials, and it would be over and done with. What’s going to get really tricky is if it turns out to be someone else – someone not of merfolk lineage. Atlantians are going to want justice served, and they’re going to want to make sure of it.”
“It will turn out to be someone else,” Lola said. “I know that Nawfar is innocent, Dereck.”
“I’ve got to look at every possibility without bias, you know?” Dereck said.
“That’s what makes you a good detective,” Lola said and smiled at him ever so slightly as they zipped down and landed outside of the station.
“Morgue is in the back,” he said. “Let’s take the back entrance.”
They walked around towards the back of the building where, after showing a security personnel his badge, they were permitted inside. They walked down a long, dark hallway, and eventually, they arrived at a waiting area where a secretary went to fetch the forensic pathologists. Minutes later, a vampire woman stepped out of a back room, removing her gloves and tossing them in a nearby trash bin. "I wasn't expecting you so quickly, Detective Dereck," she said. "And I didn't expect you to bring a friend, either. I figured I wouldn't see you until morning."
“I like to work quickly,” Dereck said. “Cho, this is Lola. Lola, this is Dr. Cho – one of the best at what she does.”
“A pleasure to meet you,” Lola said.
“Likewise.” Cho turned around on her heels. “Come on back. I’ve only just gotten started.”
They followed her to the back room, a cold and dreary looking place. Lola’s stomach wretched slightly to see Cove laid out on the table, his long mertail hanging off the edge. “Poor guy,” Lola said.
“I’ve already removed the staff,” Dr. Cho said, walking over towards another table and pointing to the golden
item that had been used to kill the merman. “Not an aquatic item as I originally thought. Possibly goblin or troll made. Very old."
The three of them circled around the table when Dr. Cho reached down to touch the side of the staff. It glowed. “Whoa!” she exclaimed suddenly in surprise, and in a moment the room shook, and they all tumbled to the ground. The sudden earthquake was over almost as quickly as it had started, and several items had fallen off nearby shelves.
“What was that!” Dereck exclaimed as he held out a hand to help Lola stand.
“Troll,” Dr. Cho grumbled. “Definitely an old troll relic.” As she stood upright, she straightened her gown. “Must not have done that the first time I touched it because I was wearing gloves. Glad I bypassed protocol this time. This here is most definitely a Troll Pass Staff.”
“A what?” Lola asked.
“Troll Pass Staff…” Dereck said. “Old trollish magic used by trolls to move earth in the mountain regions to create suitable homes. I haven’t seen one of these since I was a kid. They’re not used very often anymore.”
“No, not at all,” Dr. Cho said.
“So how did this thing wind up in Cove’s chest? Nawfar wouldn’t have had a troll relic,” Lola said.
“Grun,” Dereck suggested. “He was there at the event. And, he got really offended by Cove’s treatment of Nawfar. Maybe he had it on him?”
“I doubt he would go prancing into town with an old relic like this,” Lola said. “But that would make the most sense out of anyone who was there. He was the only troll who had come out to the party tonight.”
“Speaking of which,” Dereck said, turning to look at Lola directly. “Don’t you think it was odd that there weren’t more trolls at the festivities tonight? I mean, they’ve proven to be obnoxious at the celebrations in the past and some people have made them feel unwelcomed, but for only one to show up… it was odd.”
“I agree,” Lola said. “Might just be coincidental though. Like you said, with how much ruckus they usually cause… last year there were some hurtful words exchanged after some trolls stepped on a bunch of hobbit instruments. Maybe they decided to not show up this year?”
"Maybe," he said. "But that coupled with the Troll Pass Staff, it looks a little suspicious. This is a lot more to go on, I think that the fact that Nawfar slapped Cove earlier in the night. I think that I can file to have her released in the morning.”
"Oh, wonderful!" Lola said. "I was worried she was going to be stuck in that birdcage during your entire investigation."
“Nah,” Dereck said. “I was never worried about that. We can’t hold her for too long without legitimate evidence. We’ll put some other merfolk in charge of keeping an eye on her, though. Make sure she knows she can’t dip out. That sort of thing.”
“Well I’m just glad you are not so easily swayed as that crowd,” Lola said. “They were really quick to point fingers at her.”
“She didn’t exactly play nice,” Dereck reminded Lola. He turned to Dr. Cho. “You have anything more for me, Cho?”
“Not a whole lot right now, Dereck,” Dr. Cho said. “I’ve only just begun the autopsy. But, it doesn’t take a genius to tell you how he died. The injury came from the stab wound, but I’ll have a more extensive report for you come morning.”
“It would probably take someone fairly strong to stab someone like that with something as heavy as a golden staff,” Dereck said.
“True,” Dr. Cho said. “But Troll Pass Staff’s are very dangerous – their magic is strong. Even if it was difficult to wield, shoving it through someone like this would not require extreme strength.”
“So our killer might not necessarily be a giant troll?” Dereck asked.
“It’s certainly possible,” Dr. Cho said. “But I wouldn’t write off all other creatures just yet. I’ll let you know if I find anything else during my observation.”
“Thanks, Cho,” Dereck said and shook her hand. “Be careful with that thing, all right?” he said, nodding towards the staff.
“Believe me,” she said. “I don’t intend to touch it again.”
Chapter 5
Early the next morning, Lola found herself rather distracted at the potions shop. She kept thinking about Nawfar sitting by herself in that birdcage all night, and even though she knew the woman would be released fairly soon that day, she still could not keep her head on straight. At last, PIm-Pim gave her a tug of her hair. “Lola, just go,” he told her. “Things won’t pick up in the shop until later anyhow. I can watch the shop for you. I’ve picked up a few things from you – and I can send an owl with a letter for you if things get too crazy.”
“Are you sure?” Lola asked. “I hate to leave you here by yourself…”
“Not like I’m going anywhere,” he said. “I live here, you know?”
“True,” Lola said, laughing. “Thanks, Prim-Prim. I’m going to take my broom to the ponds – Dereck is supposed to be letting Nawfar go this morning.”
“I’ll see you later today,” he said and shooed her out the door.
She jumped up on her broom and zipped away from the shop, flying high in the clouds. As she flew towards the forests where the springs sat, she spotted another flyer. It was Dereck, but he wasn’t headed towards the springs. “Dereck?” she called, pulling back on her broomstick so that it spun around and flew back in his direction. “Where are you going?”
"Oh!" he exclaimed in surprise. "Lola wasn't expecting to see you out and about this morning. Figured you would be at the shop."
“I was, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Nawfar. I wanted to make sure that she was okay after you released her – are you not going to let her out now?” Lola asked.
“I am following up on a lead,” he said, starting to point his broomstick downward a bit, so she followed him. “I’m going to go release her afterwards. I’m sure she’ll understand.”
“What sort of lead?”
“About Grun,” Dereck said. “He didn’t return to the mountains last night for some reason. He’s been lurking around downtown.”
“I just came from there,” she said, thinking fondly of her shop. “Surely I would have seen him.”:
“He was headed in that direction, I should say,” Dereck explained. “He was spotted north, and apparently throwing a bit of a tantrum.”
“Troll tantrums are never good,” Lola said almost as soon as her shop came into view. “Oh my gosh!” she whaled as there was Grun right outside her shop, and he had busted in a window and was currently trampling inside.
“What in the world!” Dereck yelped, and they whooshed through the air and tried to reach the shop as quickly as possible.
They landed just outside of the shop and ran inside quickly, and Dereck whipped his wand out and pointed it at the shop. He shouted out various incantations, and the next thing Lola knew Grun was flying out of the shop growling and roaring in his direction. Prim-Prim was not too far behind, flying about and shouting a number of swears in his direction.
At last, one of Dereck’s blasts hit Grun dead in the chest, and he tumbled backward. "Enough!" Dereck shouted, and Grun rubbed his chest and snarled up at him.
“Mean wizard!” Grun exclaimed.
Lola was horrified as she stared at the mess. “Don’t worry, Lola, he didn’t knock any of the potion ingredients over – just the windows. I’m sure you can fix those windows with a simple spell.”
“Oh, good,” Lola said, sighing with relief. She crossed her arms and glared at Grun. “You could have caused a serious mess – I can't just wave my wand and fix spilled potions ingredients! They're magically infused."
“Grun need potion from witch,” Grun said matter-of-factly.
“Grun needed to ask!” Lola snapped. “What on earth do you need a potion for?”
“Truth potion for Cove,” Grun said. “Need give Cove truth potion.”
“Truth potion? For what?” Dereck asked.
“He flood Grun’s home,” Grun said. “But no one beli
eve Grun.”
“Flooded your home?” Dereck questioned. “Mermen don’t have power over water, Grun. They just swim in it. How could he have flooded your home?”
“Cove need truth potion! He tell everyone then,” Grun said. “He lie, and my home flood! No one believe Grun.”
“No one believes you because it sounds ridiculous,” Lola said, still feeling a bit bitter about her shop. Pim-Pim was fluttering around inside and was shaking his head – he zipped out of the shop and muttered in her ear that a few potions had indeed been knocked over, but nothing too pricey or difficult to come by. Either way, she was feeling quite hot and bothered by the incident.
“Are you going to want to press charges, Lola?” Dereck asked, and Grun huffed and crossed his arms.
“No, it’s fine,” Lola said, staring up at Grun. “Next time, Grun, you need to be more careful, do you understand?”
“Yes,” he said. “Grun sorry.”
“Grun, Cove is dead,” Dereck said. “You cannot give him a truth potion.”
Grun looked rather confused. “Grun saw Cove at spring party last night.”
“He was killed,” Dereck explained. “Did you leave early?”
“Grun leave early because Cove there,” he said.
“Do you own a Troll Pass Staff?” Dereck asked.
Grun looked at him with a perplexed expression before shaking his head now. “Grun no see Troll Pass Staff in years. No one have those no more. Grun’s father have Troll Pass Staff – long before Grun born, bad man stole it. It probably destroyed. Wizards destroyed all Troll Pass Staff’s long ago. They say too dangerous of magic for Grun’s people to have.”